INTERCITY BUS ROUTES - HISTORY

NEBRASKA

Overland Greyhound Lines and Burlington Trailways were the most significant bus companies in Nebraska. Those two companies were affiliated with the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad respectively, the most significant railroads operating in the state.

1976 MAP

Color coded map shows intercity bus routes in existence in 1976.

Blue indicates Greyhound, red indicates Trailways. Additional colors indicate significant independent bus companies, and are identified with labels. Black indicates smaller independent companies.

Thin blue or red lines indicate routes which were once part of Greyhound or Trailways, but later transferred to independent bus companies.



US    2005/1976     Cities    Greyhound or   Year     Original   Year     Consol-
Hwy.  Russell's     Served    Trailways      Intro-   Company    Consol-  idated
No.   Guide                   Company or     duced               idated   Company
      Table                   Division

  6 7096  560  Omaha-Lincoln             OGL     1922  White Trans.     1924 ITL
  6      8370  Omaha-Lincoln-Hastings    BTC(T)  1929  ---------------  1929 BTC
  6      8370  Hastings-Sterling CO      BTC(T)  1934  ---------------  1934 BTC
 20            Sioux City IA-O'Neill           Arrow Stage Lines
 20       843  O'Neill-Gordon                  United Motor Ways
 20       843  Gordon-Chadron                  Crawford Chadron Gordon Bus Line
 26       881  Ogallala-Scottsbluff            Bickel Bus Lines/Wade Bus Lines
 26       846  Angora-Scottsbluff        BTC(T)
 26       846  Scottsbluff-Torrington    BTC(T)  1937  ---------------  1937 BTC
 30       558  Omaha-Cheyenne            OGL     1927  ---------------  1927 YEL
 30 7096 8380  Grand Island-Ogallala     BTC(T)  1934  ---------------  1934 BTC
 30 4691 8380  Ogallala-Cheyenne         BTC(T)  1934  ---------------  1934 BTC
 34 7096 8380  Lincoln-Grand Island      BTC(T)  1934  ---------------  1934 BTC
 34       862  Grand Island-Hastings           Yellow Diamond/United Motor Ways
 34            Hastings-McCook           BTC(T)
 34      8370  McCook-Fort Morgan        BTC(T)
 73  751 8371  Sioux City-Omaha          BTC(T)        Arrow Stage      1936 BTC
 73       561  Tekamah-Omaha             OGL     1922  Boulevard Tr.    1924 ITL
 73  751  561  Omaha-Nebraska City       OGL     1923  ---------------  1923 ITL
 73  751  561  Nebraska City-Hiawatha    OGL     1925  ---------------  1925 ITL
 73            Nebraska City-Peru        BTC(T)
 75            Omaha-Stella              MOP(T)  1929  ---------------  1929 MOP
 77       561  Sioux City-Oakland        OGL     1922  Boulevard Tr.    1924 ITL
 77            Oakland-Fremont                 Capitol Stage Lines
 77       856  Fremont-Lincoln           OGL
 77      8376  Lincoln-Beatrice          SFT(T)
 81       854  Norfolk-Columbus          OGL
 81            Columbus-Fairmont               Meridian Transit Lines
 81      8376  Fairmont-Belleville KS    SFT(T)
 83            North Platte-Oberlin KS         Bickel Bus Line
136            Fairbury-Deshler                Fairbury Lincoln Stage Line
136       888  Red Cloud-Oxford                Bickel Bros./Republican Valley
136            Oxford-Edison             BTC(T)
183            Holdredge-Alma                  Midwest Stages
275       843  O'Neill-Norfolk                 Rapid Transit Lines
275       566  Norfolk-Fremont           OGL           Norfolk-Fremont  1925 ITL
275       566  Fremont-Omaha             OGL     1922  Boulevard Tr.    1924 ITL
281            Bonesteel SD-O'Neill            Velder Bus Line
281            O'Neill-Grand Island            United Motor Ways
281       888  Hastings-Red Cloud              Bickel Bros./Republican Valley
385       843  Hot Springs SD-Chadron          Black Hills Stage Lines
385       846  Chadron-Alliance          BTC(T)        Alliance-Chadr.  1939 BTC
385       846  Alliance-Angora           BTC(T)
385            Angora-Sidney             BTC(T)        Scottsb.-Sterl.  1939 BTC
  S       561  Oakland-Tekamah           OGL     1922  Boulevard Tr.    1924 ITL
  S       861  Grand Island-Broken Bow   BTC(T)        Gr. Is.-Br. Bow  1939 BTC
  S            Broken Bow-Alliance       BTC(T)
  S            Nebraska City-Lincoln     BTC(T)        Interstate Tr.   1930 BTC
  S            Hastings-Kearney          BTC(T)  1929  ---------------  1929 BTC
  S            Scottsbluff-Angora        BTC(T)        Scottsb.-Sterl.  1939 BTC
  S            Sidney-Sterling           BTC(T)        Scottsb.-Sterl.  1939 BTC
  S            Stella-Falls City         MOP(T)  1929  ---------------  1929 MOP
Russell's Guide Table Numbers

Greyhound tables had numbers below 700, while Trailways tables had numbers above 7000. Table numbers in between were independent bus companies. Although Greyhound Lines of Canada, not covered here, had tables numbered in the low 700's.

Where no table number is indicated, service had been discontinued by then.

Further clues on Greyhound or Trailways affiliations are the presence of a "G" or a "T" in a company abbreviation. Trailways company abbreviations are followed by a "(T)". While abbreviations of certain Greyhound companies not obviously "Greyhound" in name are followed by a "(G)".

Over the years, certain Greyhound or Trailways or other routes were sold to the following independent bus companies, identified by the following Russell's Guide table numbers.



 749- 767  Jefferson Lines
 841- 843  Black Hills Stage Lines
 846       Star Bus Line
 854- 856  Capital Service Lines
 861- 862  United Motor Ways
4682-4691  Powder River Transportation
7095-7098  Burlington Trailways (new company)

GREYHOUND BUS COMPANIES

Overland Greyhound Lines (OGL) - incorporated 1952, acquiring Union Pacific Stages and Interstate Transit Lines (ITL). Interstate Transit Lines had been incorporated in 1921, and was acquired in 1929 by Union Pacific Railroad and Chicago & North Western Railroad as a joint bus subsidiary. And Union Pacific Stages had been formed in formed in 1927 as a bus subsidiary of Union Pacific Railroad. In 1932, Interstate Transit Lines and Union Pacific Stages acquired most of the routes operated by Pickwick-Greyhound Lines (PIG). Pickwick-Greyhound Lines had been formed in 1928 as a company jointly owned by Pickwick Stages and Greyhound, and was dissolved in 1933. Many of the Pickwick-Greyhound routes had been acquired in 1929 from Yelloway (YEL), which had been formed in 1925 as a group of independent operators to operate a transcontinental bus system. But competing service was introduced in 1929 by Interstate Transit Lines. In 1943, both Interstate Transit Lines and Union Pacific Stages began operating under name Overland Greyhound Lines. Consolidated 1956 into Northland Greyhound Lines, consolidated 1957 into Central Division of Greyhound.

TRAILWAYS BUS COMPANIES

Burlington Transportation Co./Burlington Trailways (BTC) - formed 1929 as bus subsidiary of Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad, in 1936 joined Trailways, sold 1946 to American Buslines, sold 1953 to Transcontinental Bus System/Continental Trailways.

Missouri Pacific Bus Lines/Missouri Pacific Trailways (MOP) - formed 1928 as bus subsidiary of Missouri Pacific Railroad, in 1936 joined Trailways, in 1948 resumed independent operation, sold 1957 to Midwest Bus Lines which was a Trailways member, sold 1960 to Transcontinental Bus System/Continental Trailways.

Santa Fe Trail Transportation/Santa Fe Trailways (SFT) - formed 1928 as bus subsidiary of Santa Fe Railway, in 1936 joined Trailways, sold 1948 to Transcontinental Bus System/Continental Trailways.

INDEPENDENT BUS COMPANIES

Maps and further information on the significant independent bus companies, serving Nebraska.

Go to Chicago Transit & Railfan Web Site