Are bus-only segments locked out of multi-city booking now?

[BCL]

I keep on getting a message that it can't process the request when I include something like EMY-SFC or OKJ-SFC as a segment. I did that quite a few times in the past and could select all sorts of bus and train segments. But now I see this:

 

[trimetbusfan]

I keep on getting a message that it can't process the request when I include something like EMY-SFC or OKJ-SFC as a segment. I did that quite a few times in the past and could select all sorts of bus and train segments. But now I see this:

View attachment 39135

Correct, there are certain thruway services in the state of California that have to be booked with a connecting train.

If you simply book RIC-SFC (as one 'trip,' not split up into two), then you will be able to book the bus.

 

[BCL]

Correct, there are certain thruway services in the state of California that have to be booked with a connecting train.

If you simply book RIC-SFC (as one 'trip,' not split up into two), then you will be able to book the bus.

Sure. But what I'm saying is that it used to be possible to select different segments that weren't necessarily associated with each other. You could pick a different bus segment, like a Capitol Corridor train segment with a Coast Starlight attached bus segment. That was a recommendation for those who were arriving on the Coast Starlight and forgot to book to San Francisco or who were on a USA Rail pass and didn't want to use a segment on such a short bus trip. It might have been something like $8.50 for Berkeley to any of the San Francisco bus stops and it would have the convenience of being the bus that would be waiting for the Coast Starlight or California Zephyr. It still might be possible to get that bus segment on a ticket, but it might be more expensive, like MTZ-SFC on the Coast Starlight and its associated bus.

And I've definitely booked them where the segments didn't specifically connect. I remember using multi-city to book EMY-GAC as segment 1, then SFC-EMY as segment 2. The only requirement back then was that a bus segment had to be booked on the same ticket as at least one train segment. There could be some really bizarre combinations, even in different parts of the country. And it can still be done with trains. I just tried doing this bizarre combo using multi-city: