UniChris

Ironically their competitor Bolt does allow assembled bikes but only goes to a smaller collection of the largest cities.

That said busses can be a more draining experience than trains. Doing NYC<>Philly for a day ride on the Schuylkill was substantially faster and cheaper than the train, but even after only a sixty mile ride my legs were substantially unhappy about staying bent for what proved a short two hours on the bus - was lucky that not having a seatmate meant I could sit sort of diagonally. I'm probably a bit spoiled by Metro North commuter trains where the bike area or seats near it tend to be spacious, eg the facing party seats. The vertical backs on the NJT jumpseats aren't great for napping. And getting up and moving around is more of an option on a train.

This thread is more about getting to the ride start, but another caution for post-ride public transit is inability to customize temperature. A/C in summer can be oppressive and heat in winter inconsistent. My body really shuts down post ride, even after learning to bring dry clothes to change to in the restroom I typically end up pulling out and putting on all of the warmth layers I've brought - in fact this time of year, most of the volume of what I'm carrying on rides is just for the train ride home (though of course it would be useful if a ride came to an unplanned halt, too).

There was some ride I was looking at with an Amtrak option that got in at 5 am but can't remember which destination or find it again...