I'm not sure why the OP seems to dislike Greyhound so much, but Greyhound also has a frequent traveler program called
Road Rewards.
Regarding pricing, Greyhound only charges $38 round trip (NYC-DC) with their special
e-Fares, so it's essentially the same price. Amtrak's cheapest round trip is $138, which is only 4 times more, not 8 times.