Originally Posted by
Reindeerflame
There's also Amtrak, which runs more buses than trains in the state...all offered as timed connections to the various corridor trains. These go as far as Las Vegas, Eureka, and Medford OR. There's an Amtrak pass for unlimited rides, as well. See Amtrak.com.
These buses tend to be nicer rides....many times less crowded...than GH.
I've done LAX-SMF on Amtrak, and it's actually a decent way to travel. The first part of the ride, L.A. Union Station to Bakersfield, is on a bus (a relatively nice motorcoach--and there were only 3 people on it), and then you transfer to the San Joaquins train (VERY comfortable--probably at least 38" pitch seats) from Bakersfield direct to Sacramento. (Some trains go from Stockton to the Bay Area, and so a trip to Sacramento on those trains requires a transfer to a motorcoach for the last leg from Stockton to Sacramento, but it's not a long ride.)
Coming from SAN, you'd end up on the Pacific Surfliner for the first segment from SAN-LAX [Amtrak's code for Union Station], at which point you'd transfer to the bus to Bakersfield and continue north as I described.