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_19.jpg) A Martz Trailways motorcoach bound for the Poconos picks up passengers in the Financial District in Lower Manhattan | |
| Founded | 1908 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Wilkes-Barre,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Service area | Florida,Maryland,New Jersey,New York,Pennsylvania,Virginia,Washington, D.C. |
| Service type | Intercity bus,charter bus,tours |
| Alliance | Trailways Transportation System |
| Website | martzgroup.com |
Martz Group is abus company headquartered inWilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, operatingintercity commuter buses,charter buses, andtours. Martz is a part of theTrailways Transportation System, a network of approximately 70 independent bus companies. Martz Group operatesMartz Trailways, which provides intercity commuter bus service from theWyoming Valley cities of Wilkes-Barre andScranton and thePocono Mountains inNortheastern Pennsylvania toNew York City andPhiladelphia. Martz Group operates theGold Line commuter service andGray Line sightseeing service inWashington, D.C. Martz operates theNational Coach Works in Virginia, and theFirst Class Coach Company Trailways servingTampa andSt. Petersburg inFlorida. Martz Bus operates twoAmtrak Thruway Connecting Service lines in Florida and Pennsylvania. Martz Group also offers interstate and intrastate charter bus services.
The company was founded in 1908 by Frank Martz Sr. (1885–1936) as the White Transit Company, originally operating local buses inLuzerne County, Pennsylvania. He founded the Frank Martz Coach Company in 1922 to provide intercity bus service. Martz helped establish theTrailways Transportation System, which formed a national bus system through alliances between multiple carriers. Ownership of the company remains within the Martz family, with Scott Henry of the fourth generation serving as president of Martz Group.
Martz Trailways operatesintercity bus service that connects theWyoming Valley cities ofWilkes-Barre andScranton and thePocono Mountains innortheastern Pennsylvania to theNortheast megalopolis cities ofNew York City andPhiladelphia along with casino runs toAtlantic City, New Jersey, andWind Creek Bethlehem.[1]
Martz Trailways operates commuter bus service fromWilkes-Barre,Scranton, and thePocono Mountains toNew York City, with frequent service on weekdays and less frequent service on weekends. In theWyoming Valley, thecommuter buses to New York City serve Scranton, and in Wilkes-Barre: downtown Wilkes-Barre at the James F. Conahan Intermodal Transportation Center, and theWyoming Valley Mall. Places in the Pocono Mountains served by Martz buses to includeMt. Pocono,Marshalls Creek,Stroudsburg, andDelaware Water Gap. Some runs to New York City servePanther Valley, New Jersey. Most buses operating to New York City terminate at thePort Authority Bus Terminal inMidtown Manhattan, with some runs providing service toWall Street inLower Manhattan.
Martz Trailways also operates Amtrak Thruway Connecting Service (an Amtrak service that link towns that are not yet served with Amtrak rail service to nearby Amtrak rail stations) providing daily service from Wilkes-Barre, Scranton,White Haven,Allentown, andQuakertown to Philadelphia's30th Street Station, where passengers can connect to SEPTA and Amtrak trains.[1] Martz Trailways's intercity commuter bus service offers one-way and round-trip fares along with commuter fares for frequent commuters.[2][3]
Martz Trailways also operates bus service connecting the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City to indoor water parks in the Pocono Mountains includingGreat Wolf Lodge,Kalahari Resort, andAquatopia.[4]
Martz Trailways operates limited bus service from Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and the Pocono Mountains to the Atlantic City casinos and Wind Creek Bethlehem. The buses to Atlantic City provide daily service from Downtown Wilkes-Barre, the Wyoming Valley Mall, and Scranton. In Atlantic City, the buses stop atTropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City,Resorts Casino Hotel, andCaesars Atlantic City. The buses to Wind Creek Bethlehem provide service on Thursdays and the last Sunday of the month from Downtown Wilkes-Barre, the Wyoming Valley Mall, Scranton, and Mt. Pocono.[1]
Martz Group operates GOLD Line commuter service connecting Washington D.C. to suburban areas inMaryland andGray Line sightseeing service.[5][6] The Gold Line commuter service operates five routes under contract with theMaryland Transit Administration.[6] Route 202 provides service fromGaithersburg toFort Meade,[7] Route 610 connectsWaldorf to Washington, D.C.,[8] Route 620 connects Waldorf andSt. Charles Towne Center to Washington, D.C.,[9] Route 650 connectsLa Plata, Waldorf, andAccokeek to Washington, D.C.,[10] and Route 810 connectsAnne Arundel County to Washington, D.C.[11]
Martz Group operates the National Coach Works servingFredericksburg.[5] Up until April 2021, National Coach Works provided commuter bus service from the Fredericksburg area to Washington, D.C.[12] The National Coach Works also operates two commuter routes under contract with the Maryland Transit Administration that connectSouthern Maryland with Washington, D.C., Route 705 connects the Charlotte Hall Shopping Center inCharlotte Hall and the Mattawoman-Beantown park and ride in Waldorf with Washington, D.C., and the Route 715 connects the Golden Beach park and ride in Charlotte Hall and the Mattawoman-Beantown park and ride in Waldorf with Washington, D.C.[13][14] There is also charter bus service offered by the National Coach Works, serving Fredericksburg,Richmond, and Washington, D.C.[15]
Martz Group operates the First Class Coach Company Trailways servingTampa andSt. Petersburg.[5]
Martz operates services forOurBus. It operates theAmtrak Thruway route fromPhiladelphia's30th Street Station to Wilkes Barre / Scranton viaAllentown. It also operates theAmtrak Thruway route from theOrlando andTampaAmtrak stations toSt. Petersburg andFort Myers.
Martz Trailways providescharter bus services, excursions, retail packages, custom packages, andBroadway ticket sales.[16] Martz Tours offers entertainmenttours, with single-day and multi-day trips to places across the United States.[17] First Class Trailways offers charter bus service.[18]
The origins of the company date back to 1908, when Frank Martz Sr. founded the White Transit Company inPlymouth, Pennsylvania, operating between mining towns in theCoal Region. In 1912, Martz Sr. started local routes in theLuzerne County area, which were sold to theLuzerne County Transportation Authority in 1974. Martz Sr. founded the Frank Martz Coach Company in 1922 to offer intercity bus service. By 1927, the Frank Martz Coach Company had routes operating from Wilkes-Barre to New York City, Philadelphia,Albany, New York,Syracuse, New York,Buffalo, New York,Cleveland,Detroit, andChicago. In 1926, Martz Sr. began airline service between New York City,Elmira, New York, and Buffalo. The airline service was discontinued in 1933 due to theGreat Depression. Martz Sr. was one of the founders of theNational Trailways Bus System, which formed a national bus system through alliances between multiple carriers, competing withGreyhound Lines for national bus service.[5]
Martz Sr. died in 1936 and his son Frank Martz Jr. took over the company. The company continued to grow in the following years. Martz Jr. was killed in a helicopter accident in 1964, and ownership of the company passed to Frank M. Henry, the grandson of company founder Martz Sr. Ownership of the company remains within the family, with Scott Henry of the fourth generation currently President of Martz Group.[5] In 2016, Martz Group went through a rebranding, in which they added 116 coaches, new operations in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Florida, and the introduction of Martz Luxury Service. The company also upgraded buses.
