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What is a trip with "Multiple Carriers"?
What is a trip with "Multiple Carriers"?

Tips for booking and traveling on Multiple Carrier trips

Bryn avatar
Written by Bryn
Updated over a week ago

Wanderu offers "Multiple Carrier" trips, which are combined trip route options to provide you with alternative (and sometimes cheaper!) options to reach your destination. These trips stitch together two or more bus/train legs operated by different bus/train carriers.

For example, you can travel from New York City to Boston on one bus, transfer in Boston to a train operated by a different company, and travel from Boston to Portland - like a travel pro!

Tips for Multiple Carrier Trips

  • Remember that each leg of your trip is a separate booking, and is reserved with different bus/train carriers.

  • Pay close attention to information about the transfer, which may include a self-transfer to a different station to board your next bus/train.

  • We recommend adding Trip Protection on the check-out page for Multiple Carrier trips.

    • The two legs of a Multiple Carrier trip are independent of each other, so the second bus/train will not wait if you are delayed.

  • Chat with us or email [email protected] if you have questions!

Searching for and Booking Multiple Carrier Trips

Multiple Carrier trips appear in search results with "Multiple Carriers" shown instead of one bus/train carrier logo.

When viewing a "Multiple Carriers" trip, we always recommend checking out the "Details" view for information about transferring from one trip to the next.

Most Multiple Carrier trips require a self-transfer from one station to another in the middle of the trip. At least 1 hour is provided for layovers to get to the next station. Passengers are responsible for transferring from one station to the next, either by public transit, taxi, ride share, or walking. A link to Directions is provided in the "Details" view in the search results and Trip Summary page.

In a few cases, the self-transfer can happen within the same station, but most will require traveling from one station to another. We do advise you to view all of the options and choose the one you are most comfortable with before booking.

Traveling on Multiple Carrier Trips

If you book a Multiple Carrier trip, you will receive two separate tickets, one for each leg of your trip.

As with most things, preparation is key! Take a minute to check the Directions for your self-transfer and decide how you'll plan to reach the next departure station: some stations are within walking distance, while others may require traveling further via public transit or taxi/ride share.

Delays are unfortunate, but they can happen😞. Please note that if your first leg is delayed and arrives late to your transfer city, you may have less time to make your self-transfer or may even miss your second leg.

When you miss a trip, some bus/train carriers may allow you to travel on a later trip, but this will be at the discretion of the carrier operating the second leg of your Multiple Carrier trip. Most tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable after the bus/train departs.

We recommend adding Trip Protection from our partner Allianz on the check-out page, which will offer reimbursement for travel delays over 2 hours, so that you won't lose out on the second ticket if the first trip happens to get delayed.


We at Wanderu always want to provide you with as many travel options to choose from as possible! Multiple Carrier trips are great choices to find "hacker" fares for cheaper than direct options, or for routes that have limited direct options available.

If you have questions about Multiple Carrier trips, we are here to help! Chat with us via the live bubble at the bottom right corner of your screen, or email us at [email protected].

Safe travels!

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