Intercity buses connect cities, towns, and rural communities, providing affordable transportation for millions of Americans. Although they carry more passengers than Amtrak, intercity buses receive far less public attention. The industry is now evolving as private operators rethink their services and business models, and governments reassess their support for routes and stations. At the same time, intercity bus operators face challenges posed by rising costs, changing travel patterns, and intensifying competition.
What is happening in the intercity bus industry today, and what does the future hold? This Eno webinar brings together experts from the bus industry, state government, and academia to examine current trends and challenges, as well as opportunities for expanding service, attracting passengers, improving the travel experience, and shaping the industry’s future.
Panelists
Fred Ferguson, President and CEO, American Bus Association
Fred leads the American Bus Association Marketplace, the National Bus Traffic Association, and major advocacy efforts. A former Vista Outdoor executive and U.S. House chief of staff, he’s managed $3 billion in M&A communications, directed national corporate social responsibility strategy, and testified before Congress. Ferguson holds an MBA from Oklahoma State University. Outside of work, he enjoys family time and supports his family’s two stationery stores, Every Little Something, in Middleburg and Leesburg, Virginia.
Nina Stocker, Manager of the Travel Washington Intercity Bus Program, Washington State Department of Transportation
Nina has served as the program manager and lead transportation planner for the statewide intercity bus program at the Washington State Department of Transportation since 2019. The Travel Washington Intercity Bus Program aims to connect rural communities to major transportation hubs and urban centers through public-private partnerships. She is a recognized voice on intercity bus policy and practice at the national level and has led intercity bus sessions at the National Rural Transit Assistance Program conference and the annual Community Transportation Association of America Expo. Nina currently chairs the Intercity Bus Subcommittee for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). She holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from Eastern Washington University. Stocker is committed to expanding transportation access and strengthening Washington’s role in national mobility.
Joseph Schwieterman, Professor, DePaul University, and editor of Intercity Bus E-News.
Joseph is the director of the university’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, which studies public policy, transportation, and urban planning. He has authored more than two dozen peer-reviewed articles on the development of cities and transportation. Dr. Schwieterman edits Intercity Bus E-News, a newsletter on scheduled city-to-city bus travel, now in its eighth year.. His most recent book is Terminal Town: An Illustrated Guide to Chicago’s Airports, Bus Depots, Train Stations, and Steamship Landings, 1939 – Present, available through Northwestern University Press. Schwieterman won the Transportation Research Forum’s prestigious Distinguished Researcher Award in 2025.
Moderator: Philip Plotch – Principal Researcher and Senior Fellow, Eno Center for Transportation
