The Lone Star State is one of America’s largest states, and depending on where you’re traveling, it can easily take several hours on the highway. While taking the bus doesn’t shorten the travel time, it often gives travelers peace of mind and takes the worry out of arriving at their destination on time. Many major Texas cities offer their own transportation for short treks through its borders, while larger chains normally handle long-distance commutes.

Locate your origin and destination points, using a map if necessary. An online or smartphone application such as Google Maps can help outline details like total distance and approximate time your trip will take. Look for the bus stops at or near each of these points, and find out which companies run buses through those stops. If there are no stops directly next to the area you plan to board or depart, try to find a stop that’s within reasonable walking distance.

Search the internet for a list of bus lines with a route that matches your needs. Major travel lines, including Amtrak (amtrak.com) and Greyhound (greyhound.com), have several routes that cross through most of urban and suburban Texas, with a few rural stops as well. Most metropolitan areas have their own transportation lines to shuttle you through the city, such as Austin Public Transit (capmetro.org).

Research your chosen bus line to see if you need to purchase a ticket in advance, or if there’s a teller or vending machine on location. This is especially important when buying a pass that’s valid for more than one trip. For example, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (dart.org), or DART, lets passengers purchase two-hour, midday and full-day tickets while on board, but only offer weekly and monthly passes at specific stations and online.

Umiko Sasaki has been writing for newspapers and trade magazines since 1999. Credits include Software.com, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Mayo Center for the Performing Arts, and several regional charities. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Drew University in playwriting and has owned a copywriting business in New Jersey since 2005.
[null, {"document_url": "https://getawaytips.azcentral.com/travel-bus-texas-4487.html", "unformatted_src": "images/left_arrow.png", "src": "https://getawaytips.azcentral.com/images/left_arrow.png", "formatted_filename": "left arrow"}, null, {"document_url": "https://getawaytips.azcentral.com/travel-bus-texas-4487.html", "unformatted_src": "https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/100x100/s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/contentlab.studiod/getty/cache.gettyimages.com/cee74a6c830e41cb9f0cd648e9433ecf.jpg", "src": "https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/100x100/s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/contentlab.studiod/getty/cache.gettyimages.com/cee74a6c830e41cb9f0cd648e9433ecf.jpg", "formatted_filename": "cee a c e cb f cd e ecf"}, {"document_url": "https://getawaytips.azcentral.com/travel-bus-texas-4487.html", "unformatted_src": "images/right_arrow.png", "src": "https://getawaytips.azcentral.com/images/right_arrow.png", "formatted_filename": "right arrow"}, null, {"document_url": "https://getawaytips.azcentral.com/travel-bus-texas-4487.html", "unformatted_src": "https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/100x100/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/178/48/89682335_XS.jpg", "src": "https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/100x100/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/178/48/89682335_XS.jpg", "formatted_filename": "XS"}, null, {"document_url": "https://getawaytips.azcentral.com/travel-bus-texas-4487.html", "unformatted_src": "https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/560x560/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/78/142/78314091.jpg", "src": "https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/560x560/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/78/142/78314091.jpg", "alt_text": "Check your bus line's ticket policy before boarding to avoid awkward situations."}, null]