More holiday travelers will bypass gas pumps

0 Comments | USA TODAY, August, 2008 | by Emily Bazar and Alan Levin

More Labor Day travelers will hop on trains and buses this holiday weekend to avoid high gas prices and hefty airfares, travel experts say.

"We're anticipating holiday ridership to be about 10% higher this year" than last, says Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero.

Amtrak set a record in July with 2.8 million passengers and expects to break the annual record this year, she says.

Even a 5% fare hike last month in the heavily traveled Northeast hasn't stopped ridership growth, she says. She says people are fed up with traffic jams and airport security lines.

"We're attributing about half of the increase to the price of gas alone and the other half to travelers seeking an alternative to driving or flying," she says. "You can bring your shampoo...