Numbers on trains and buses increase
With heightened airline security measures causing delays, some train and bus companies yesterday reported slight increases in ridership.
An Amtrak spokeswoman said reservation centers received about 15 percent more calls the last two days compared with the same period last year.
``It doesn't mean they were necessarily buying tickets, but it does say people were looking into alternative transportation," spokeswoman Tracy Connell said.
The number of passengers on two New York-bound Peter Pan buses yesterday morning doubled from the same time last year, said Robert Schwarz , executive vice president for the company. He said he suspects the airport delays could have played a factor in the increased ridership.
But yesterday at South Station, few travelers voiced concerns about taking the bus or train, and none interviewed by The Globe had canceled plane reservations.
While waiting for a train to New York yesterday afternoon, Marnie Nicolella , 34, said that if she had plane tickets to New York, she would have reconsidered flying because ``Logan would've been a disaster." But Amtrak's lack of security, she said, also had her ``a little more nervous." She said that in the three trains she has ridden in the past two weeks, she was never asked for identification.
``I wish there was a way to screen bags," said Nicolella, an actress in New York returning from visiting family in Maine. Security is ``a little lax. It makes you a little more aware that it's a very vulnerable form of transportation."
Others said they appreciated the less-stringent security measures on buses and trains. After Wednesday's arrests by British authorities of 24 alleged terrorists who planned to blow up airplanes, heightened air travel restrictions now include bans on almost all liquids, including shampoos, hair gels, and soda.
Cambridge resident Jay Sitter , 25, said he thought the new restrictions were ``silly" and was thankful buses hadn't banned beverages.
``You're thirsty when you're on a bus for eight hours," said Sitter, who sipped from a water bottle as he waited for a bus to New York yesterday afternoon.
Boston resident Jennifer Larsen , 21, is scheduled to fly to Paris next month with a layover at London's Heathrow Airport, where British police yesterday said the suspected suicide bombers had planned to fly from. Larsen said she'll remain cautious, but that she isn't fearful.
``I just don't think people should cancel their plane tickets because of it," said Larsen, as she waited for a bus to Montreal. ``What good is it going to do?"
Robert Hass , who was waiting for a train home to New York, said train rides are ``much more relaxing."
``By the time you get to the airport, by the time you get through security, it's just easier to take the train and it's a lot less stressful," said Hass, 62 . ``You have a better chance of being struck by lightning than being in a terrorist attack." 