Green Tortoise

Green Tortoise Adventure Travel is an American long-distance tour bus company founded by Gardner Kent in mid-1973 and based in San Francisco, California. It provides tours in North America, mostly within the United States. It operates a bus line and hostels in Seattle and San Francisco. The company caters particularly to backpackers, both from the U.S. and abroad.

Early years

Green Tortoise was one of several low-cost, no-frills alternative bus companies established in the 1970s and based in California and the Pacific Northwest, providing long-distance bus service, but by 1982 it was one of only two still in operation. Also commonly referred to as "hippie bus" companies during the 1970s, for their counterculture vibe and casual atmosphere, the first such company was Grey Rabbit, which started in 1971 and was based in San Francisco. Gardner Kent founded Green Tortoise in 1973 and based its name on that of Grey Rabbit. Although the two companies were very similar, Grey Rabbit put more emphasis on making the journey time shorte.g. San Francisco to New York in less than four dayswhereas Kent planned a service that would be a little slower but more relaxed, with more stops (for swimming, picnics, etc.) and where the experience of the trip itself was more important.

Green Tortoise's buses for its first two decades or more were secondhand transit buses built in the 1950s and modified by the removal of nearly all seatsreplaced by a long foam bed in the rear two-thirds of the busand the installation of overhead luggage racks that could be converted into bunk beds. In a 1982 article in ''The Sunday Oregonian'', a reporter for the Field News Service wrote that, "The hippie bus companies may have been known for speed but never comfort. Buses were old, overcrowded and prone to breakdowns – frequently stranding their generally hirsute passengers in the often highly unsympathetic hinterlands." Although the use of old buses continued, Kent made changes targeting the other problems. In 1979, Green Tortoise lengthened its cross-country journey time to seven days and began focusing more on tour bus service than on transportation. It also added trips to Mexico and Alaska.

Green Tortoise, Grey Rabbit and the smaller alternative bus companies all operated informally and without licenses for interstate operation during the 1970s. In 1981, the Tortoise and Rabbit, the only two still operating, both were granted temporary operating permits by the Interstate Commerce Commission. The subsequent passage of the federal Bus Regulatory Reform Act of 1982 eased restrictions on their operation. However, ridership on the alternative buses had been declining ever since the implementation of U.S. airline deregulation in the late 1970s, which had spawned much lower airfares. Grey Rabbit went under in 1983 and was acquired by Green Tortoise. In the early 1980s, the Tortoise's fleet still consisted of buses built in the 1950s. In 1983, the company was still operating a regular weekly service from San Francisco to Portland and San Francisco to Los Angeles, along with occasional cross-country trips, in addition to its slower-paced excursions. The company had 14 buses and 50 employees at its peak, in the late 1980s.

Description and destinations

The company's buses are fitted with bunk beds so that passengers can lounge or sleep while the bus is moving. This is done at night so that a destination can be reached in the morning. The company aims to foster a social environment among its passengers, who work together to cook most meals, which are often vegetarian.Official Green Tortoise FAQ
/ref> There are usually opportunities for camping during a trip. Itineraries typically try to avoid heavily touristed locations, and prioritize places of natural and cultural interest such as national parks, monuments, forests, hot springs, or archaeological ruins.

Green Tortoise has historically made trips to destinations in the United States including Alaska and regular summer coast-to-coast routes from San Francisco to Boston and back. Special trips are also arranged to festivals every year, including a Mardi Gras trip to New Orleans