Concord Trailways

[error]

If you've been following along closely, you know that I've sworn never to fly again in this country as long as the government is in charge of air security. So for my trip to NH for Dada's court appearance, I'm taking a bus... maybe.

Before I booked my tickets, I did some checking around to see what bus lines went into and out of NH and what sorts of deals I could get. That's when I ran across Concord Trailways.

I already hate Concord Trailways, and I haven't even (yet) done business with them.

This is why:

Why do I have to show a photo I.D. to ride the bus?

Concord Trailways requires a photo I.D. for all passengers traveling with an adult ticket. We do not require identification for children under the age of 12 traveling with a parent or guardian, however, if they are traveling alone, they will need a school I.D., passport, or copy of their birth certificate. Children under the age of 17 with no photo I.D. must be accompanied by an adult with a photo I.D. upon purchasing a ticket. These are security measures that we take in the event that there is an emergency and allows us to assist officials in identifying who traveled on a particular day. We do not generate passenger lists for each bus, therefore, we require you to show your I.D. each time you travel. This information is not stored in our system. We print your name on the ticket to ensure that you are the person traveling (see Ticketing Information). If you have questions on acceptable forms of I.D. or special circumstances, please contact the Information Center directly at 1-800-639-3317. Our General Information section of the website also contains this information.

So far as I can tell, they're the only motor coach carrier in the country with such a ridiculous policy. Security my ass.

Greyhound doesn't require an ID to ride the bus, Peter Pan doesn't, Vermont Transit doesn't, and those cheap Chinese Boston-NYC buses which tend to catch fire don't either. ID wasn't an issue for them!

If you've been following closely, you also know that I absolutely do not believe in showing government ID to travel, or even for travel-related services such as hotel accommodations. The right to travel must be held inviolate, and companies which assist the government in violating that right should not be rewarded.

So I have a little dilemma here.

I booked my tickets through to Boston, and decided I'd figure out what to do about Concord Trailways when I get there. Frankly I'd rather not give them a single penny as long as they have this policy, but if no other option presents itself I'll have to buy a ticket from them and probably show them some kind of ID. I won't like it, and I'll make quite sure they know it.

If any of you happen to be in Boston on the 12th and want to give me a ride to Concord that afternoon/evening, I'll gladly give YOU money rather than them.

(Leaving Concord on return to Boston is no problem, since there's a conveniently scheduled Vermont Transit bus, and like most bus lines, they don't seem to care if you have an ID or not, as long as you pay cash. There's no conveniently scheduled VT bus that would get TO Concord before Dada's court appearance, the whole reason I'm coming out to NH before I have to be in NYC later in the week.)

And, Dada, if you want something to protest that afternoon, I suggest Concord Trailways at 30 Stickney Avenue. I'll even join you.

IDENTIFICATION
IS NOT SECURITY - Bruce Schneier

[Dreepa]

If any of you happen to be in Boston on the 12th and want to give me a ride to Concord that afternoon/evening

There is a chance I would be outside of Boston on the 12th.. (20% likely in Dada speak)
Also look into the company that goes from Logan to Hanover (with stops in Concord I think).

[FrankChodorov]

If any of you happen to be in Boston on the 12th and want to give me a ride to Concord that afternoon/evening

There is a chance I would be outside of Boston on the 12th.. (20% likely in Dada speak)
Also look into the company that goes from Logan to Hanover (with stops in Concord I think).

Dartmouth Coach is actually owned by Concord Coach/Trailways and has the same ID policy

http://www.concordtrailways.com/dartmouth_coach_general_information.htm

"Photo ID -  Will be required for passengers traveling with an adult ticket. Children under the age of 17 with no photo ID must be accompanied by an adult with a photo ID upon purchasing ticket."

only stops in New London, NH and Lebanon/Hanover.

[error]

There is a chance I would be outside of Boston on the 12th.. (20% likely in Dada speak)
Also look into the company that goes from Logan to Hanover (with stops in Concord I think).

Thanks!

I looked, the company is Dartmouth Coach, which is part of Concord Trailways, and has the same ridiculous government ID policy. And those buses don't stop in Concord anyway.

[aries]

I wonder if they offer enhanced security for those without ID, or just no ride.

[Braddogg]

I may or may not be able to give you a ride; if you can't find someone else to get you there, let me know and I'll try to procure a car for the afternoon, maybe get a ZipCar for a few hours.

[burnthebeautiful]

When I visited NH I rode on Concord Trailways. Having to show an I.D. bugged me, but I was having to show ID everywhere. When buying cigarettes, hotel rooms, etc. Apparantly there's some federal law banning smoking on public transport, or at least interstate public transport. Most of the bus drivers just said "No smoking allowed", but one bus driver made the point of saying "Federal law bans us from allowing smoking..."

Concord Trailways are nice to ride on. They arrive and leave on time, the seats are comfy, there's nice air conditioning, etc. Their downside is they only leave once a day. Not much flexibility...

[error]

Federal regulations prohibit any bus company in interstate commerce, or any bus company that accepts federal money (virtually any municipal bus, for instance), from allowing smoking on their buses.

As for Concord Trailways, I could wait on Peter Pan or Vermont Transit, but I wouldn't arrive in Concord in time for Dada's festivities, er, court appearance.

I haven't used or even carried a government ID for anything in over a year, and honestly, I'm not even sure if I know where it is.

[burnthebeautiful]

Being a 20-year-old who both drinks and smokes (In Sweden it's 18 to drink at bars and buy cigarettes in stores, and 20 to shop at liqour stores), I don't really have much choice in whether or not to show my ID. As "unprincipled" as I might be, I'm not going to stop going to bars just so I can stop showing my ID card.

Next time I visit NH, I will have a drivers license, and I won't have to deal with public transport. It was extremely limiting the first time to only be able to visit the places public transportation could bring me too, and only being able to go there when the buses went there. I enjoyed myself nonetheless, but I'm sure I'll enjoy NH a lot more when I have the freedom of being able to drive around at my convenience.

[error]

Yeah, it's even worse for you. Someone's probably asking for your ID every day.

I intend to do something about that, at least here in the US, and NH in particular.

Come and join us!

[aries]

I scraped off the magstrip on my license and colored in the back of it totally with a permanent marker, so the barcode and physical address arent visible.

I have no idea if this invalidates my license. I have an expired passport on hand in case I need "valid" ID in the case my license isnt accepted. Plus, that expired passport will work for proving citizenship, eligibility to work, etc, for the rest of my life.

For some reason people think the passport has to be valid, but expired definitely works. I have a valid one but it was issued after 911 and has all these holographic security features, etc. My old one could be faked with a photocopier and a laminator.

[error]

Hm. I've never gotten a passport, expired or otherwise. And now with the RFID chips in them, I'm not entirely sure I want one.

Government ID being primarily intended for dealing with the government, I think I'd rather just not have one, and not deal with the government.

[aries]

Hm. I've never gotten a passport, expired or otherwise. And now with the RFID chips in them, I'm not entirely sure I want one.

Government ID being primarily intended for dealing with the government, I think I'd rather just not have one, and not deal with the government.

Passports issued today mostly dont have RFID chips and those that do have a special marking, which is an orange rectangle with a white circle cut out of it.

My passport does have a holographic overlay... and until 2015 I dont have to renew it. I've only ever used my expired one, which is stamped for England and Canada. When I went to Canada, I use an expired passport to get in, but I was walking over to Niagara falls, and the border guard offered a stamp anyway, so I took it.

Passports are largely for dealing with foreign governments, which is, of course, foreign territory to me.. I'm not about to question other countries' policies regarding entry

[error]

What makes you think I want to deal with foreign governments either?

[aries]

What makes you think I want to deal with foreign governments either?

Either as a matter of necessity or to have a nice vacation.

I'm willing to get my passport stamped if it means a week or two of not thinking about government.