I actually sat with a guy just released from prison on my last trip. He told me his life story and what he had done, and how excited he was to be able to see his wife and baby. His wife was pregnant with the baby when he got locked up so he had never seen her. I got to see the reunion with him and his family at a stop a few hours later that brought a tear to my eye. I'm always careful but I do love meeting people and hearing different life stories. That is one good thing about greyhound to me.
I was waiting for my Amtrak train to Chicago in Longview Texas. The bus pulled in from Louisiana, and one of the fellows on the bus was having a hard time showing ID to buy a ticket. He was chagrined and only had his prison ID. I noted that, and we struck up a conversation and rode together to Chicago. I bought his meals along the way because he had no money whatsoever outside of what he spent on the ticket. He was connecting to a town in Michigan where his wife and kids were waiting, so I gave him a few more bucks for meals on that train as well. We exchanged a few emails and it was good to hear that he was back with his family, with a job, and not doing anything that would ever put him back into a prison.
When I was 19 I sat on a Greyhound with a young man who was fresh out. He told me how everyone looked at him like he was a convict. I gave him some insight, that he still dressed and carried himself like he was still in. And that no, people weren't looking at him like that. We had a really good conversation, and three years later I worked for an ex-offender organization.
My favorite Greyhound bus experience was when the driver stopped the bus at his house to have a conjugal visit with his girlfriend. I know this because he announced it to the passengers after he returned. Everybody cheered, including me. it was a true Twilight Zone moment.
@@EzraWilson1 I'm not saying you did, I just said I could see, by which I mean I could imagine a bunch of people waiting around and cheered as he comes out...
loved the driver on a bus once. he said, " a lot of you will ask how fast I will drive" if the bus does 65, I'll drive 65, if it goes 75, I'll drive 75. But if you see us going 95 downhill, we have no brakes....hold on
As someone who has never taken a greyhound but plans to soon. This video was completely reasonable. If this is all the bad I can expect I thank you for giving me piece of mind.
On my recent trip from NYC to Pittsburgh, this happened. When I arrived at the station, I asked a Greyhound employee which gate was for my bus. The person looked at my ticket and told me which gate. After waiting almost 2 hours for THAT late bus, the driver told me 'this is not your bus'. He handed me off to another employee who sent me to customer service, as my bus had departed and I needed a new ticket. A customer service rep scolded ME for the error because, he said, everyone knows Greyhound employees don't know what they are talking about! I could write a book about my bus travels. This was just one happy tale.
Funny..a friend told me I should write a story about my most recent trip, cross-country, and I am considering it! I could make serious money! Somewhere between a short story and a novel..would that be called a novella?
Lets be honest: Greyhound is the lowest form of long distance public transport in the US. Have low expectations. I would highly recommend going Amtrack of flying if at all possible. It avoids most of these hassles/risks.
Yes, I agree 100 percent. When my parents went out to visit my brother out in California from their home in Wisconsin, they took Greyhound because that was all they could afford and I didn't want them to do this for the reasons you cited above. It didn't turn out as bad as I feared, they did have one issue with some loser putting his feet on the back of my dad's seat but they did meet a nice older couple like themselves from out in the Dakotas and they enjoyed a wonderful time together so I was glad for that.
The worst part is when you have to transfer to another bus when you're left at the station at midnight and the next one leaves at like 05.00 a.m. MUST plan for stuff like this.
especially n the crack town scary spots in bg cities where they close and make you leave the station at night.... and we all know, Greyhound are always in the safest areas
@@steelstreet3765 how does an extra ticket help in this situation? If you already have a valid ticket waiting for the next bus and they still close the station and make you wait outside, how is buying an extra helping?
I am very, very grateful to Greyhound (and to Trailways) for having made it possible for me, an immigrant, to see so much of the United States. I wasn't in a high-paid job and I wanted to see the country at eye level, not from 30,000 feet up. I had a number of trips--starting in the 1960s--both short and long, including one literally all around the States--NYC via northern route to Seattle, down to San Diego, back via South Central and Appalachian states to NYC. Yes, it was sometimes uncomfortable but it was cheap; I got several 90 Days for $99 passes. In time I began to use Amtrak, and it was certainly more comfortable, but Amtrak doesn't go everywhere, even with the "Thruway" connection by buses. I last took a Greyhound bus a couple of years before Covid, and it certainly was a little less pleasant than it used to be. The worst things I've experienced were a long delay some miles outside St. Louis waiting for the police to come and arrest an unruly passenger; finding the "station" was way outside of town with no taxi service on a Sunday (I was bailed out by the guide on the tour I'd just left, who was on good terms with a historic hotel in town, and dropped me off there, where a security guard drove me to the "station, a closed decrepit cafe, in her pickup truck!); being unable to sleep on the bus across Oklahoma because of a group of wild good ol' boys playing music and singing loudly all night, at the back of the bus; getting off a bus in the evening in a small city where the only hotel in the area was all too clearly part of the red light district (I was bailed out by some nice people who drove me to a motel on the edge of town); and being on a bus that was heading north to Cincinnati through Kentucky that was halted by floods (we had to backtrack and take an alternate route--not Greyhound's fault, of course). I survived. And found a lot of help along the way, as well as the creeps. Here are some tips if you want to ride the Greyhound--or any bus: 1. Take bottled water and some food and snacks in case you run short. Now that often the bus station is closed, you may find yourself on a sidewalk or in a parking lot waiting for the bus with no good source of sustenance. Or all there will be is a row of soda and snack machines, with anything you want to purchase sold out, or the machine is broken. 2. Take lots of quarters and dollar bills (see no.1). Note: any ATM along the way is going to have a hefty out-of-state service fee when you use your card. 3. Don't leave something on your seat to mark it as taken at a rest stop. I lost a nice sunhat that way. 4. Take at minimum a neck pillow because those seats are not comfortable. 5. Don't take your shoes off. Just as on an airplane, your feet may swell and you can't easily get your shoes back on! 6. Take a book or magazines to read in case Wi-Fi doesn't work (see video). If you still have a Walkman and CDs, take your music (or audio book) aboard, with headphones, of course. Also good for Amtrak and long air flights. Take spare batteries! 7. Always get off the bus at rest stops if possible! Get moving to help your legs. Also, if there is a rest room, it will always be better than the rest room at the back of the bus. 8. Travel light. Consider taking a backpack or duffel to put in luggage rack, with small bag with needs for the journey that you can put behind or between your legs. (The bus driver may or may not monitor who takes which bag out of the luggage compartments. A friend of mine almost lost her wheelie bag to a passenger who "mistook" it for her own; luckily, my friend had tape and straps around it to identify it and saw it being wheeled away. The would-be thief created a big scene. Take some paper towels, tissues, wipes, and, of course, a bottle of water; also plastic bags you can put your garbage in (there will be a bag at the front of the bus to put it in). A small, soft scarf to put around your neck might be good against the air-conditioning. 9. Don't expect the lighting be good enough for you to read once the sun goes down. The individual reading light for your seat may or may not work. And don't expect to be able to keep up your travel diary or do any other writing on a bus; the ride is generally smooth, but the roads may not be. 10. Plan ahead. Figure out where the sun will be during the day and try to sit the shady side during the afternoon, or your seat can get very warm, and also if you want to look out, you'll be staring into the sun. Take a road map. Look up on the Internet before you go what accommodations are going to be available in the vicinity, of each planned stop, and if you want to, book ahead, especially at busy times. I did once have to spend the night in a bus station because I couldn't find anywhere to stay on a holiday weekend. Stupid me! (But also had to do so when my flight was late, and I missed the last bus that day and had to wait to catch the early bus next day. Delays happen on any transportation, including your own car if , say, there are unexpected roadworks or a parade on the only road out of town.) 11. Book as far ahead as you can, because the fares go up the closer to your intended departure date you get. Weigh the extra cost for guaranteed refund--there are several tiers of ticket prices depending on how much money you feel you can afford to lose. Good luck, and enjoy the trip.
WOW great story. My cousin did the same thing. He quit his job and took a greyhound to everywhere. He went to all these different cities and states and even ended up in Canada. Slept at stations/outside ate a convenience stores walked miles to neighboring towns slept on the beaches forests visited national parks. He said it was and amazing life experience.
Back in the day up until the late 80's Greyhound used to sell an Ameripass for about $100 and with the pass you could travel anywhere Greyhound went for 30 days. You could even ride the bus every day if you wanted and many people did just that seeing the country.
Traveled dozens of times over the last 20 years, only 1 bad experience when the bus broke down (5 hour wait}. This guy sums up the experience pretty well but my experiences in general have not been quite so bad. Its always an adventure. Great video. Subbed.
You forgot one! If you have a ticket ,that doesn't mean you have a seat! I have gotten the last seat and there was 6 people who had to get the next bus in 4 hrs!
Also, you probably get on okay at the original departure point--but if you are trying to board at an intermediate stop, you may be out of luck. No seat? Your problem.
Great video! I used to take Greyhound frequently. If you let these things roll off your back, you can have some unique adventures and meet some super interesting people!
Great video, Tim! I just wanted to also add that the time for meal breaks/stops might be shorter than scheduled as some drivers like to use that time to make up for lost time if they happen to be running late. Don't count on that 30-40 minutes to run to McDonald's/KFC/etc. when the stop could actually be 15 minutes (or less)!
I drove for Greyhound Canada for 43 years, and it was a wonderful career, until they quit on us here. If people won't ride the bus there's nothing you can do. My passengers used to ask why the bus company was planning to quit. My answer was always the same. Everybody has three cars, so why would they want to ride a bus. One of my passengers said that he did not have three cars. He only had two cars...and then he paused for a minute and said, "...and one pickup truck." I replied that this is why Greyhound will stop running. An affluent society where people have multiple cars, does NOT ride busses. And now you know the rest of the story!
Didn't see any timestamps so I hope this helps: 1) 1:13 Bus will probably be late (tip) get there 30mins to an hour early if you can 2) 1:44 Priority boarding is a scam 3) 2:36 Don't expect to sit by your traveling buddies u take any seat that is available 4) 3:14 Bus Wifi may not work (tip) if u have phone service use that, or download a game that is offline while u have wifi or bring something else that doesnt require wifi to have fun with. 5) 3:56 Power outlets might not work (tip) get in the bus sooner than others if u can so you test out the power outlet in a empty seat to see if it works 6) 4:43 Bus will probably be cold (tip) bring a jacket or blanket just in case if you are traveling at night too. 7) 5:31 You are gonna have to get out the bus alot so they can maintenance the bus. It can happen anytime even at night time so be prepared 8) 6:44 Depending on your trip length you will have to transfer to another bus during your trip. (tip) Look at the itinerary when you book for your trip before you go so u can see how long the layover is estimated to take. 9) 7:33 The layover can take alot longer than it is supposed to. 9:10 Employees won't have a straight answer on why it is taking so long 10) 10:31 You will be late to your destination. (tip) 11:21 Keep in mind 11:57
Haven't rode a Greyhound since 1980. My mom loved it until I put her on Amtrak from Greensboro to Boston for her nephews wedding back in 2002. She loved it. I always say Amtrak is the mother standard for travel. The attendants watch out for the elderly who need extra help. Especially if they need a golf cart from one gate to another in larger stations like Washington DC or NYC. We will never catch another Greyhound and we don't fly.
Waaay back in the 70s, my grandfather got mugged on an Amtrak from NYC to DC. He was in his 90s; the conductor didn’t give a rip. That was upsetting. BUT, things have really, really improved. Much better today!
I took a grayhound bus once in my life, while travelling the states from Europe. it was one of the most shocking experiences in my life. The bus had a terrible smell , 99% of the people on it were crackheads, drunk, violent or something of the sort. One lady wanted to fight the driver, another one was super drunk and high screaming, a guy was trowing up behind me, everyone was high off their faces and tweaking. It was just a damn nightmare and I had no idea this was even a thing or exisisted. I was so happy when I got out of that bus and happy I survived.
I know the feeling lol. That's part of the reason I wanted to make these Greyhound videos so that people would know what to expect. You can definitely survive the trip but it's going to be sketchy at times lol
Yup, although not everyone who rides the Greyhound is a low life degenerate, the majority of them are. I lived in Europe and I know most people take the busses and public transportation, so it really levels the playing field. Here, the majority of people just take their own vehicles everywhere or they might fly and most of the dirty gutter trash people take public transportation because it's cheap.
My worst experience on Greyhound was an overbooked bus. They called another bus. We followed the diesel bus in front of us from Portland to Tacoma. Breathing was difficult. My complaints were ignored. I asked if we could take the lead for a bit to detox. Greyhound driver had his orders to follow. I avoided taking the bus since. 50 years ago, still avoid bus.
My Greyhound experiences are always terrible lol. I expect delays at this point (Seriously, my bus has only been on time like a total of 4 times out of the 12-16 times I've ridden this bus. Plus, they don't give refunds, like ever. You've basically gotta call your credit card company to bounce back the transaction, because Greyhound certainly won't do it). Great video as always!
@terry waller good shit bro. I hate Greyhound this company is shitty all around. Shitty stations, shitty buses, shitty attitude drivers, and customer service reps
I caught a greyhound 3 weeks ago. My trip started in Key Largo, Fl. At a bus stop. Hmmm okay so we made our 1st stop in Miami near the airport. Got to so the down town local gene pool. Shallow end. I knew it was only going to get more interesting from there. So far not much trauma. In Tampa it got a little bit more sketchy. I was now reboarding and a young guy who suffered from PTSD had a pitbull for a emotional support animal. No one was looking forward to having a big pitbull sharing the limited leg space. I told him to sit with me as long as he took the window seat. The A/C died maybe 10 minutes in to us pulling out of the station. Yippee. Only 9 hours left. It was not only hot but some nut case Karen opened the Emergency window. Cause she was hot. Cops came and took Karen off the bus before we could ring her neck. Needless to say if you want to write a country song take a greyhound. It will practically write it self just from the experience alone.
I’ve never been on a bus where the WiFi wasn’t bad 😂😂😂 Download the hell out of whatever media you can. Also BRING A PORTABLE BATTERY FOR YOUR PHONE! Or you’re going to be hella bored.
Markus Dez Honestly this isn’t a bus specific issue either, the ONLY wifi that actually somewhat worked is the one on the Bullettrain and even that one was somewhat spotty on areas. Decided to just use LTE+Portable, so much better and faster then the wifi
Yeah you can set your clock by bus/plane/train Wifi not working (yes even on Lux Bus). Use your mobile data or a Skyroam/Nomad if you must be on the internet, otherwise have things downloaded in advance.
Great video, back in the early 80's I traveled on the hound all over the country as I was delivering vans trucks and motorhomes all over the country. In most cases the hound was the only way I could get back home. From your review it sounds like things have just gotten worse. At least back then there wasn't a driver shortage, and I don't recall any problems with lay-overs. Back then people could smoke on the bus which I don't so I always came off stinking like cigarettes. I saw a lot of crazy stuff on buses and wish I'd taken notes, I could write a book. I'm glad somebody can find nice things to say about riding the hound because I wouldn't wish bus travel on my worst enemy.
I grew up in an airline family, however I recall as a kid in the 70s, riding a Continental Trailways ‘Golden Eagle’ service from Houston to Dallas. This was a premium service with a hostess, hot food, a first-class experience (at least from the perspective of a 14-year-old kid). That was my only “long haul” bus trip in the US. I did do a Greyhound trip around the whole parameter of Australia in the 90s....never again🤯😖.
As a person who has traveled many, many long trips with greyhound i laughed so hard through this.....all true, and so much more!!!! I have so many stories to tell from my greyhound trips.....got to say ive had some real adventures!!!
Great piece. Some years ago, in the pre-covid era, I took the Hound to NYC. A very fashionable lady took my ticket. Imagine my surprise when she took the seat behind the wheel and proceeded to drive to NYC on time. Best bus trip I ever had.
My uncle was pulled over and charged with impaired driving while operating a Greyhound bus. Everyone was stranded on the side of the highway for hours before a new driver showed up in a taxi. True story.
I actually was laughing about some of the things said in this video. They can be all true! I used to drive for Greyhound back in the day. It was a good company, I can't vouch for them now as I haven't driven a bus in over 20 years. I switched over to truck driving. One of the things mentioned about being late and it might be traffic, reminded me of a late night call from the Charleston WV station. "We need you badly! A passenger got into it with one of our drivers, and cold cocked her while she was driving out of the station. we need a relief driver." Ok, getting over being hit while driving was one thing, but I actually knew this driver! I told them I would be there in about an hour. Since I was the closest driver (I lived in Huntington WV, and had to drive an hour to Charleston. At the time the speed limit was 55.. tells you how long ago that was. Once I got there, I entered the station through the employee entrance, signed in, and went out to the bus I would be driving. Got on the intercom and (be being the jokester i am) stated that I would gladly be accepting passenger tickets for Beckley, Roanoake, Richmond, Raleigh -Durham, and all points south. If you won these lucky tickets are are going this way, ya'll let's go! The manager on duty glared at me and I got "the look" I was verifying tickets, and making sure the passengers needed to be on the bus, when someone got in my face and started yelling at me for not being on time. When they took a breath, I kindly asked them to step to my right, all the while giving them a stone cold look of death through my eyes. Once everyone was on the bus, I turned to them and asked them if I could help them with something, or if they were going to continue to yell at me for something I had no control over. 'YOU were late!! You made US late! how dare you!" Ok, first of all, I calm down. Second of all you have no clue of what you are talking about AND (before they could get a word in) it's none of your business, HOWEVER, I will tell you that I was called in, and i didn't have to be here, and the more that you stand here yelling about things you have no idea about, you are making this bus late, now, I will ask you one more time, Can I help you with something? They looked ashamed at what they had done. They handed me the ticket and said they were sorry. With my blue marker, I put a slash through their ticket and told them to go see the ticket person. I stood there with my arms crossed until they went back in the station. I hauled my butt up them stairs, fastened the seatbelt, honked the horn twice, backed out butts out of there and did my run! Point being, Don't mess with the drivers. 9 times out 10, they have no idea why they were called into work. I was just lucky to know the driver that was hurt, and back then we all knew each other. The company did a good job at keeping just enough light on the subject so that we really didn't know. Don't go up and get in the employees faces. You probably won't get an answer anyway. Just thought I'd share that with ya.
LOL Yes, I have had nights like that. Drove for Greyhound out of Chicago for 10 years. Wonderful job back when Dial Corp owned Greyhound. From what I've heard, kind of went downhill when Laidlaw owned Greyhound. I never put up with crap from a passenger. Even to the point that I would (and have ) pulled up to a Police station. had a few officers escort the problem off the bus. Than get on the intercom and ask if anyone else had an issue. Bus was really quite after that. Found out a few times that some were even wanted in other states on warrants. But for the most part I tied to have fun on the bus. Even to the point if someone brought a guitar on-board, I ask them if they could play, so they could stay on the bus.....the looks I got were funny. Or getting on the intercom and requesting Freebird, while heading West on I-80. The Pride and Professionalism will never be the same.
Bought a ticket from Barstow to L.A. They offered regular or express; naturally I opted for express. Asked the ticket counter which lane had my bus. Oh, there's two out there, either one is express. I boarded one of the buses as did many other people. The second bus filled up and departed first. The driver gets onto our bus and then announces this bus had been changed to local service and we'll be stopping at every point in between (adding 2 to 4 hours to our trip). Everyone on board was pissed as it seems we had all been told the same lie. The driver shrugged and said he was just following orders. Greyhound, definitely the choice of last resort.
Great tips. I've rident buses throughout Mexico, central America & the middle east. It's mostly a crapshoot as for passenger comfort. A few times I had to share a seat with a crate of roosters & other farm animals. However, the buses in Mexico are well appointed with more leg room, movies & wifi that actually work. Just my experience.
Good comment, Bill. And this: I've had past experience with the Grey-Dog/Trail-No-Ways busses and Mexican buses.The Mexican ones were in heavy-tourist zones, and were WAAAY better. I'm an "older" guy, and I'm comparring the transit/bus travel systems OF THE 1970's to 'mid '90's. Even with old-style two-land major hwys. that, included, on one trip, the Mex. bus taking a very long time on a modest-height pass of switchbacks, they still very much out-perform the US broken-bus system(s).
We took our teen son on a holiday in the DR, we took a city bus that was quite ancient full of locals, he sat behind us. when the bus was full, an oncoming teen girl promptly sat down on top of him and proceeded to eat oranges, dripping juice all over him. he looked a little surprised, but did not flinch! ha ha!
@@Lauren-vd4qe I traveled by greyhound in June 28th coming back to St Louis were horrible.the bus broke down in Decatur ill.it were 7hours before another bus came to get us
Beware if you have to change buses in Knoxville, TN! The old station in downtown was sold, and Greyhound is now using a small Marathon gas station parking lot for their stop. No shelter, no restrooms after the Marathon closes at 10 PM. People have been stranded there for several hours if they missed their connection or the bus has broken down.
That is the case in many cities. In Portland, OR (my home), the downtown bus terminal was closed and the site sold or slated for development. The "station" is now a sidewalk on a rather deserted street a bit north of the train station--or was last time I checked. In the part of town now full of homeless people, (not all of whom, of course, are criminals or drug addicts, or mentally ill, but there are enough with problems that mean I would hesitate to venture to the Greyhound stop).
Wow! I road the greyhound from Texas to California when I was 17, I'm now 36. You do the math, but I remember the ride being smooth and on time. Guess things have changed since then.
Dont expect all of the bathrooms at all of the stops to be clean. Also NOT every stop has a place inside where you can wait. I have ran into several stops going down to South Florida that did NOT have a inside waiting area. It was a picnic table outside with no cover.
@@sonyafox3271 I've never found a toilet at a bus rest stop (or train station) to be as bad as an on--board bus toilet--or, sometimes, Amtrak bathroom or airplane lavatory. Some people are just pigs.
Want to enjoy travel at all? You gotta be flexible. Want to enjoy travel by bus? You gotta be more flexible than THAT. A sense of humor, a taste for adventure, and a thick skin all come in handy too.
You did an absolutely excellent job in this report. I worked for greyhound for 10yrs and I was also a passenger for many more years. Everything you said is true
The simple solution to any employee shortage, get ready for it, is to pay them more money. By the way good video and I like your presentation style, clear and easy to understand ;)
You nailed it my wife and I had to sit on opposite ends of the bus from Tyler to Dallas wifi is a joke the ac was good we had a long layover in Memphis because a driver didn't show I also loved the 10 no 5 maybe 3 good things about greyhound you sir are optimistic! What I have learned is that if you have a time you need to be at a destination than go a day ahead like you said as long as they have full busses they will not fix their problems
My experience was decades ago and involved trips between San Diego and Los Angeles. I never had problems, but those were short and long ago. As for late buses, they travel on roadways that are also used by cars, trucks, and other buses. It would be impossible to predict accurately how long a trip might take. Also, Amtrak is also often late. I had a train trip from Las Vegas to L. A. and waited about 8 hours for the train to get from Salt Lake City to Vegas. It turned out that Union Pacific, which owns and operates the tracks, had a derailment, and it took that long to clear and repair the rails. Amtrak also had to wait for a relief crew since the operators on the train had reached their time limit. They did give us a great meal on board for free.
My first long haul Grsyhound trip: on the overnight from NYC to Pittsburgh, the driver started weaving back and forth across the road. Eventually, he gets pulled over by the State Police, and gets a warning. 20 miles he pulls over at a motel and leaves the bus. I figured we were getting a fresh driver, but 40 minutes later, he's back, jacked up on something, and drove the rest of the route with no issues.
Traveling to Indiana from Chattanooga next week and I’m 20. Was nervous and have been watching your videos and I feel ready and more informed. Thanks Tim!
I don't know why the bus service in America is so bad. Even in Latin America they have top of the line service. I took an overnight bus from Buenos Aires to the resort town of Bariloche in Argentina a few years ago. It was a two level state of the art bus with comfortable seat-beds, great food/drinks (included) served by uniformed staff, individual TVscreen with full entertainment. Most comfortable and luxurious bus ride ever. It was like flying first class.
I love the fact he air quoted maintenance check😂 he knows damn well they take things they not supposed to, but he’s being nice and not fully jumping to conclusion
My wife, daughter and I went from Minnesota to Florida for Christmas 2018. We had a few hiccups but mostly everyone was kind and courteous toward us. I took 2 weeks of vacation just so if something happened I would have plenty of time to get there and back. I would ride Greyhound again.
Surprisingly, I've only ever had issues with Greyhounds when going through Atlanta. I've done a few trips with Greyhound.... both of which were multiple days/states. (WA > AL which was fun, as it was in winter and someone had managed to overturn their truck on the main highway into Colorado from Wyoming) and then (AL > Boston, which was 5 hours late before I even got on it, and subsequently missed a flight.... yeah.... But Greyhound did refund me the journey, so that was nice)
I travel heavily by bus from NYC throughout the northeast and have experienced horrible delays and have even been left stranded curbside by Greyhound. Never an issue with Megabus, Peter Pan, Coach USA, Martz, Academy, and even (better believe it) the Chinatown lines. It’s just an overall terrible experience x’s 100 from NYC’s infamous Port Authority Bus Terminal.
I first traveled Greyhound in 1963;; did a lot of traveling by bus, then mainly by Amtrak, and a few sporadic trips by Greyhound after about 1990, the last in 2018. The travel experience has definitely gone way, way downhill. Greyhound did have a subsidiary called Bolt Bus connecting major cities in the Northeast and Pacific coast regions, and that was both cheap and very good--clean, comfortable seats, pretty reliable. But that was discontinued during Covid, and I don't know if it is back again.
It seems it you have a bit of patience and understanding (like the gentleman in this video) your Greyhound Trip might not be that bad. Thanks for the helpful tips.
My first greyhound trip is tomorrow morning...all I have to say is thank u for lowering my expectations of greyhound. No wonder why the tickets are super cheap haha
I haven’t sat in a window seat on any transportation since 1953. I was riding the bus from NY City to Philly and had chosen a window seat. A hugely obese older woman sat next to me. During the ride she experienced explosive bowel and bladder incontinence plus vomiting. It was a Trailways bus rather than a Grayhound, but you get the idea.
I rode Greyhound from October 2010 thru August 2011. I dont know what its like now but I give them an A+ for the time I rode with them.The only problem that I had was overcrowding but people disperse pretty quickly.
Just the title of your video made me smile. Back in '73, my father and I rode a Greyhound from Cleveland to southern Alabama. Got on the bus and they moved us to Erie, PA. (?). Then they moved us back to Cleveland. 4 hours wasted.
Your videos are informative but hilarious. I’ve never been on a Greyhound bus but now I want to just to see what the hell will go wrong and laugh about it.
Thanks for the tips! Nicely presented. Last year I had to take a bus trip from Cleveland to Boston. 1. Retired bus driver. 2. Had to handle my own luggage between stops - - if i didn't - nobody cared. 3. NO READING LIGHTS allowed - - I heard something drop from my bag, used my phone light near the floor to find it - - bus driver shouted, "Turn that light off - you're blinding me." - - didn't find it - - later - - turned out to be the DASH CAM from the WRECK I had had (reason for bus trip). LOST 4. Greyhound is not greyhound anymore. You never know WHOSE bus you're on - - Peter pan, greyhound, trailways, allegheny, - - who knows. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
Greyhound was stellar in the 60’s, generally good in the 70’s, and “OK” in the early 80’s. Of course there were no fancy do-dads like WiFi, power outlets, adjustable lights & vents, etc. There were three activities: chatting with people, reading, and snoozing. Crazy people generally took cheap regional lines, so that part was better too. The change over the past 35-40 years reflects a low priority by the DOT to assure decent transportation for those who are economically forced to use it. So sad.
Greyhound is not owned by the same company, as back in the 80's. In fact it's current owners is a British Company. Back than the drivers prided themselves with being on time, their Uniforms, the Buses, and happy customers. But times have changed. Sadly, not for the better. Retired Chicago Greyhound driver.
@@marcmckenzie5110 Most of the time I did runs from Chicago to Ogallala, Nebraska or Chicago to Marquette, Michigan or Memphis, Tenn. Or stuck on Cleveland. Which I hated running.
In the 60s I took lots of bus trips. Living in Chicago. I preferred the Continental Trail ways busses. They all had a back window then, I, being in my teens, loved it. Not in a hurry to get anywhere, see the country, meet folks, less people and traffic in those days
@@jeffherdz I'm an old school trailways driver. Greyhound was bought by an investor group that ran trailways . They then moved the company headquarters to Dallas and the trailways shop at 315 Continental Ave became the Greyhound shop. The worst thing that came from that was Greyhound let go of Eagle International in Brownsville TX where they made eagle's. The silver eagle changed bus travel in 1958 . It was the best coach ever made.
Thank you so much for this video. Your candor and your sense of humor helped "the medicine go down" as they say, but to me, a 76 year old woman with not so good health, it sounds nearly unbearable! 🥴 I really want to go see my sister in Tennessee (I live in California) but I think I'd best wait until I can save enough money to fly. ☹️ I like your delivery style, and your great communication skills and wish you the best in your efforts. Thanks again, Sharron ⚘️
One time I took a Greyhound from my hometown (New York City) to Syracuse, NY in order to visit a friend. There was a snow storm coming and instead of canceling the route temporarily they decided to power through. About 2 hours in the storm hit. The roads were no longer passable. Several of us had to get out and help push the bus on multiple occasions.
I just keep the bus trips relatively short... My longest trip (in miles) was from Tallahassee to Miami. I usually just go to ATL, JAX, or Orlando. Only had a driver issue a couple of times; the delay was an hour one time. The other time, the schedule was canceled and the trip was prolonged by five hours. Buses are rarely cold in my experiences, but I'm always hot.
I'm going on a 3,500 mile trip from Southern Florida to Seattle, Washington tomorrow at 10am, wish me luck! I previously took the hound from Philly to Montreal regularly from 2011-2014, so I've experienced a lot of these bad things, so I'm expecting the worst! But I am so excited to see the whole country via a greyhound bus!
I think that guy with his shirt off, missing a shoe and listening to a radio that isn't there is my uncle! Where did you see him? Hahaha great video. I haven't been on a bus since around 1977 when I got out of the army but I enjoyed your video thank you for your time.
Hmm shortage of driver huh? I guess that explains my 8 hour layover in Denver 4 hour layover in salt lake. Oh! He's right about the outlets 90% of the time they didn't work.
In addition to being cold, the bus usually SMELLS BAD! Usually urine or body odor. Like funky bad. I’ve been on several greyhound. My only advice is sit near the front. The door opens often and lets fresh air in. The LA station in California almost always has someone on drugs tweaking around the station while you’re stuck there for 2 hours, waiting for the bus transitions. As far as the rest of the video, it’s 100% accurate.
I'm leaving Minnesota on the 9th.. not my first greyhound trip. That one was in 2011. And all those things did indeed happen.. lost my luggage too. Luckily they had tags that I put on them as well.. some lady In dallas tx tried to pick a fight with me during a layover there and had some guy try to sell me weed. It was nuts!
When I. Was eighteen in 1978, I took a Greyhound bus from Tucson AZ. To Dayton Ohio, it took four days and it was the worse experience in my life, since then, I had vowed to never again to take a bus trip again, and I have kept that vow tó this day.
I rode greyhound from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon getting the milk run up highway 101 where they stop at every little town. Because of the endless twisting road I could not sleep.Needed a pillow. Many times we had to leave the bus. Food was terrible and over-priced in small towns in the middle of the night.
I've been through the Dallas station many times..it is SCARY.. that was probably on the stop the guy got his face eaten..or somewhere a stop or two away
@@fundyourlifestyle i dont think ot matters when it happened.. Its the fact that it happened at all...sooooo horrible this is the first i heard about it
I used it once. Traveled from nm to co. Bus left the station like 1am and got to Pueblo like at 5-6am. One stop in between. It wasn’t bad. Not too packed. Short bus ride.
Someone brings a service cat on and sits next to you. You tell them you are extremely allergic, to which they reply that they are, too! You are on bus together for about 24 hours, so you are all stuffed up and lose hearing due to clogged ears. Then, you cannot understand the driver's announcements, or anything...gosh I could keep writing comments!
I was a 13 year old traveling alone on Greyhound from Charleston SC to Miami Florida visiting my father back in the 1970s with no major problems concerning bus operations, I'm sure things are different today.
Almost 15 years ago now, but I took a Greyhound from St. Louis to Maine and I have to say that by far it was the worst travel experience of my life. Never going to happen again.
I actually sat with a guy just released from prison on my last trip. He told me his life story and what he had done, and how excited he was to be able to see his wife and baby. His wife was pregnant with the baby when he got locked up so he had never seen her. I got to see the reunion with him and his family at a stop a few hours later that brought a tear to my eye. I'm always careful but I do love meeting people and hearing different life stories. That is one good thing about greyhound to me.
I was waiting for my Amtrak train to Chicago in Longview Texas. The bus pulled in from Louisiana, and one of the fellows on the bus was having a hard time showing ID to buy a ticket. He was chagrined and only had his prison ID. I noted that, and we struck up a conversation and rode together to Chicago. I bought his meals along the way because he had no money whatsoever outside of what he spent on the ticket. He was connecting to a town in Michigan where his wife and kids were waiting, so I gave him a few more bucks for meals on that train as well. We exchanged a few emails and it was good to hear that he was back with his family, with a job, and not doing anything that would ever put him back into a prison.
I’m praying you’re not the best Tim McLean
When I was 19 I sat on a Greyhound with a young man who was fresh out. He told me how everyone looked at him like he was a convict. I gave him some insight, that he still dressed and carried himself like he was still in. And that no, people weren't looking at him like that. We had a really good conversation, and three years later I worked for an ex-offender organization.
Wonderful to enjoy such encounters in life to make such fond memories.
GREY HOUND SUCK NEVER TAKEN A ROUND TRIP TO UP NORTH AGAIN. IT WAS DISASTER
Greyhound's new slogan: "We'll get you there...eventually."
Maybe
Probably.
This is actually in the fine print 🤣
Great comment
maybe not your luggage
My favorite Greyhound bus experience was when the driver stopped the bus at his house to have a conjugal visit with his girlfriend. I know this because he announced it to the passengers after he returned. Everybody cheered, including me. it was a true Twilight Zone moment.
😳wow
And where were you when this was happening? I can imagine you all just standing in their yard with your bags, just waiting...
@@-moondust- why do you assume we were off the bus?
And how would we have gotten our bags out of the holding compartment?
@@EzraWilson1 I'm not saying you did, I just said I could see, by which I mean I could imagine a bunch of people waiting around and cheered as he comes out...
loved the driver on a bus once. he said, " a lot of you will ask how fast I will drive" if the bus does 65, I'll drive 65, if it goes 75, I'll drive 75. But if you see us going 95 downhill, we have no brakes....hold on
I was afraid to fly before I watched this video, not anymore.
This didn't age well.....
As someone who has never taken a greyhound but plans to soon. This video was completely reasonable. If this is all the bad I can expect I thank you for giving me piece of mind.
How was the trip?
You gotta tell us your story now!
It's not.
Oh, Man, you can't hop an Amtrak?
I don't think he survived the trip.
On my recent trip from NYC to Pittsburgh, this happened. When I arrived at the station, I asked a Greyhound employee which gate was for my bus. The person looked at my ticket and told me which gate. After waiting almost 2 hours for THAT late bus, the driver told me 'this is not your bus'.
He handed me off to another employee who sent me to customer service, as my bus had departed and I needed a new ticket. A customer service rep scolded ME for the error because, he said, everyone knows Greyhound employees don't know what they are talking about!
I could write a book about my bus travels. This was just one happy tale.
Funny..a friend told me I should write a story about my most recent trip, cross-country, and I am considering it! I could make serious money! Somewhere between a short story and a novel..would that be called a novella?
Didn't you know Greyhound hires only the illiterate to save on operating costs
haha
I hope you took the time to give greyhound a bad online review. That sounds like an awful experience you went through.
That exact story happened to me in Jacksonville, Fl.
I find myself always watching this whenever i ride greyhound. It amuses me and prepares me for the greyhoubd experience
Mr Vondopolous Facts
Yeah I remember I had to go back home on greyhound was 8 hours late and my phone died. My momma thought that someone kidnapped me.
Lmafoooo
Did you make it home?
so lucky there is definitely someone get kidnapped on greyhound.
hahaha hilarious
Poor momma
They keep bus cold so people don't smell so much. Can you imagine the smell of unwashed people in a warm, stuffy bus after a few days?
Also helps keep the driver alert, the risk is greater for the driver to nod off if the vehicle is warm and cozy.
Lets be honest: Greyhound is the lowest form of long distance public transport in the US. Have low expectations. I would highly recommend going Amtrack of flying if at all possible. It avoids most of these hassles/risks.
So flying it is. Amtrak is useless
@@qjtvaddict Amtrak is better, flying sucks 👎
People should only take short trips on buses…less of a headache
Yes, I agree 100 percent. When my parents went out to visit my brother out in California from their home in Wisconsin, they took Greyhound because that was all they could afford and I didn't want them to do this for the reasons you cited above. It didn't turn out as bad as I feared, they did have one issue with some loser putting his feet on the back of my dad's seat but they did meet a nice older couple like themselves from out in the Dakotas and they enjoyed a wonderful time together so I was glad for that.
@Kevin COVINGTON Yes, but it's those high prices that keep the riff-raff away.
Greyhound: The Bus will get you there.......... eventually.
I work at a Greyhound bus stop you're 100% spot on
The worst part is when you have to transfer to another bus when you're left at the station at midnight and the next one leaves at like 05.00 a.m. MUST plan for stuff like this.
especially n the crack town scary spots in bg cities where they close and make you leave the station at night.... and we all know, Greyhound are always in the safest areas
I buy a extra ticket so security doesn't kick me out
@@MichaelDanielHikerLionKing that's screwed up.
@@steelstreet3765 how does an extra ticket help in this situation? If you already have a valid ticket waiting for the next bus and they still close the station and make you wait outside, how is buying an extra helping?
I had this happen to me, and while waiting a cop was like you cant stay here... like don't you have actual crime to solve.
I jumped head first into a Greyhound bus from near Chicago to Salt Lake City. I leave tomorrow. My Amtrak train was canceled! So, here we go!
I am very, very grateful to Greyhound (and to Trailways) for having made it possible for me, an immigrant, to see so much of the United States. I wasn't in a high-paid job and I wanted to see the country at eye level, not from 30,000 feet up. I had a number of trips--starting in the 1960s--both short and long, including one literally all around the States--NYC via northern route to Seattle, down to San Diego, back via South Central and Appalachian states to NYC. Yes, it was sometimes uncomfortable but it was cheap; I got several 90 Days for $99 passes. In time I began to use Amtrak, and it was certainly more comfortable, but Amtrak doesn't go everywhere, even with the "Thruway" connection by buses. I last took a Greyhound bus a couple of years before Covid, and it certainly was a little less pleasant than it used to be.
The worst things I've experienced were a long delay some miles outside St. Louis waiting for the police to come and arrest an unruly passenger; finding the "station" was way outside of town with no taxi service on a Sunday (I was bailed out by the guide on the tour I'd just left, who was on good terms with a historic hotel in town, and dropped me off there, where a security guard drove me to the "station, a closed decrepit cafe, in her pickup truck!); being unable to sleep on the bus across Oklahoma because of a group of wild good ol' boys playing music and singing loudly all night, at the back of the bus; getting off a bus in the evening in a small city where the only hotel in the area was all too clearly part of the red light district (I was bailed out by some nice people who drove me to a motel on the edge of town); and being on a bus that was heading north to Cincinnati through Kentucky that was halted by floods (we had to backtrack and take an alternate route--not Greyhound's fault, of course). I survived. And found a lot of help along the way, as well as the creeps. Here are some tips if you want to ride the Greyhound--or any bus:
1. Take bottled water and some food and snacks in case you run short. Now that often the bus station is closed, you may find yourself on a sidewalk or in a parking lot waiting for the bus with no good source of sustenance. Or all there will be is a row of soda and snack machines, with anything you want to purchase sold out, or the machine is broken.
2. Take lots of quarters and dollar bills (see no.1). Note: any ATM along the way is going to have a hefty out-of-state service fee when you use your card.
3. Don't leave something on your seat to mark it as taken at a rest stop. I lost a nice sunhat that way.
4. Take at minimum a neck pillow because those seats are not comfortable.
5. Don't take your shoes off. Just as on an airplane, your feet may swell and you can't easily get your shoes back on!
6. Take a book or magazines to read in case Wi-Fi doesn't work (see video). If you still have a Walkman and CDs, take your music (or audio book) aboard, with headphones, of course. Also good for Amtrak and long air flights. Take spare batteries!
7. Always get off the bus at rest stops if possible! Get moving to help your legs. Also, if there is a rest room, it will always be better than the rest room at the back of the bus.
8. Travel light. Consider taking a backpack or duffel to put in luggage rack, with small bag with needs for the journey that you can put behind or between your legs. (The bus driver may or may not monitor who takes which bag out of the luggage compartments. A friend of mine almost lost her wheelie bag to a passenger who "mistook" it for her own; luckily, my friend had tape and straps around it to identify it and saw it being wheeled away. The would-be thief created a big scene. Take some paper towels, tissues, wipes, and, of course, a bottle of water; also plastic bags you can put your garbage in (there will be a bag at the front of the bus to put it in). A small, soft scarf to put around your neck might be good against the air-conditioning.
9. Don't expect the lighting be good enough for you to read once the sun goes down. The individual reading light for your seat may or may not work. And don't expect to be able to keep up your travel diary or do any other writing on a bus; the ride is generally smooth, but the roads may not be.
10. Plan ahead. Figure out where the sun will be during the day and try to sit the shady side during the afternoon, or your seat can get very warm, and also if you want to look out, you'll be staring into the sun. Take a road map. Look up on the Internet before you go what accommodations are going to be available in the vicinity, of each planned stop, and if you want to, book ahead, especially at busy times. I did once have to spend the night in a bus station because I couldn't find anywhere to stay on a holiday weekend. Stupid me! (But also had to do so when my flight was late, and I missed the last bus that day and had to wait to catch the early bus next day. Delays happen on any transportation, including your own car if , say, there are unexpected roadworks or a parade on the only road out of town.)
11. Book as far ahead as you can, because the fares go up the closer to your intended departure date you get. Weigh the extra cost for guaranteed refund--there are several tiers of ticket prices depending on how much money you feel you can afford to lose.
Good luck, and enjoy the trip.
WOW great story. My cousin did the same thing. He quit his job and took a greyhound to everywhere. He went to all these different cities and states and even ended up in Canada. Slept at stations/outside ate a convenience stores walked miles to neighboring towns slept on the beaches forests visited national parks. He said it was and amazing life experience.
cool! now I wanna get onto a Greyhound and go somewhere :)
Back in the day up until the late 80's Greyhound used to sell an Ameripass for about $100 and with the pass you could travel anywhere Greyhound went for 30 days. You could even ride the bus every day if you wanted and many people did just that seeing the country.
Traveled dozens of times over the last 20 years, only 1 bad experience when the bus broke down (5 hour wait}. This guy sums up the experience pretty well but my experiences in general have not been quite so bad. Its always an adventure. Great video. Subbed.
You forgot one! If you have a ticket ,that doesn't mean you have a seat! I have gotten the last seat and there was 6 people who had to get the next bus in 4 hrs!
YOU ARE SOOOOOOOOOOO RIGHT .... A ticket definitely does NOT guarantee a seat!!!
HAHAH you are so right. I was once kicked off WITH my ticket lol. I made a video on my channel if you wanna hear about it. :)
Got, that right. It wasn't Greyhound though. It was flixbus.
Had that happen
Also, you probably get on okay at the original departure point--but if you are trying to board at an intermediate stop, you may be out of luck. No seat? Your problem.
Great video! I used to take Greyhound frequently. If you let these things roll off your back, you can have some unique adventures and meet some super interesting people!
I’m so glad I found your channel. Your blend of information, humor, & straightforward communication is really terrific. I’ll watch them all now.
Why are the employees so rude and lack respect and why are they so unwilling to help?
Great video, Tim! I just wanted to also add that the time for meal breaks/stops might be shorter than scheduled as some drivers like to use that time to make up for lost time if they happen to be running late. Don't count on that 30-40 minutes to run to McDonald's/KFC/etc. when the stop could actually be 15 minutes (or less)!
I drove for Greyhound Canada for 43 years, and it was a wonderful career, until they quit on us here. If people won't ride the bus there's nothing you can do. My passengers used to ask why the bus company was planning to quit. My answer was always the same. Everybody has three cars, so why would they want to ride a bus. One of my passengers said that he did not have three cars. He only had two cars...and then he paused for a minute and said, "...and one pickup truck." I replied that this is why Greyhound will stop running. An affluent society where people have multiple cars, does NOT ride busses. And now you know the rest of the story!
Didn't see any timestamps so I hope this helps:
1) 1:13 Bus will probably be late (tip) get there 30mins to an hour early if you can
2) 1:44 Priority boarding is a scam
3) 2:36 Don't expect to sit by your traveling buddies u take any seat that is available
4) 3:14 Bus Wifi may not work
(tip) if u have phone service use that, or download a game that is offline while u have wifi or bring something else that doesnt require wifi to have fun with.
5) 3:56 Power outlets might not work
(tip) get in the bus sooner than others if u can so you test out the power outlet in a empty seat to see if it works
6) 4:43 Bus will probably be cold
(tip) bring a jacket or blanket just in case if you are traveling at night too.
7) 5:31 You are gonna have to get out the bus alot so they can maintenance the bus. It can happen anytime even at night time so be prepared
8) 6:44 Depending on your trip length you will have to transfer to another bus during your trip.
(tip) Look at the itinerary when you book for your trip before you go so u can see how long the layover is estimated to take.
9) 7:33 The layover can take alot longer than it is supposed to.
9:10 Employees won't have a straight answer on why it is taking so long
10) 10:31 You will be late to your destination.
(tip) 11:21
Keep in mind 11:57
I've taken Greyhound a few times, but the trip was always Minneapolis to Milwalkee and back. And I also found that I prefer Amtrak.
"That 'hound broke down and left us all stranded in downtown Birmingham." -Chuck Berry
That's 'cause we had motor trouble that turned into a struggle half way across Alabam.
Haven't rode a Greyhound since 1980. My mom loved it until I put her on Amtrak from Greensboro to Boston for her nephews wedding back in 2002. She loved it. I always say Amtrak is the mother standard for travel. The attendants watch out for the elderly who need extra help. Especially if they need a golf cart from one gate to another in larger stations like Washington DC or NYC. We will never catch another Greyhound and we don't fly.
All my experiences with amtrak have always been positive besides a leaking train car.
Waaay back in the 70s, my grandfather got mugged on an Amtrak from NYC to DC. He was in his 90s; the conductor didn’t give a rip. That was upsetting.
BUT, things have really, really improved. Much better today!
@Janice May I know the reason for your last 3 words? "we don't fly". Just curious if it stems from some philosophy or just a fear of flying.
@@charliejdk How the hell does someone get mugged on Amtrak!
screw flying
I took a grayhound bus once in my life, while travelling the states from Europe. it was one of the most shocking experiences in my life. The bus had a terrible smell , 99% of the people on it were crackheads, drunk, violent or something of the sort. One lady wanted to fight the driver, another one was super drunk and high screaming, a guy was trowing up behind me, everyone was high off their faces and tweaking. It was just a damn nightmare and I had no idea this was even a thing or exisisted. I was so happy when I got out of that bus and happy I survived.
I know the feeling lol. That's part of the reason I wanted to make these Greyhound videos so that people would know what to expect. You can definitely survive the trip but it's going to be sketchy at times lol
😂😂😂
Imagine 2 years later now !! getting better every damn day ! lolllllllllllllllll
Yup, although not everyone who rides the Greyhound is a low life degenerate, the majority of them are. I lived in Europe and I know most people take the busses and public transportation, so it really levels the playing field. Here, the majority of people just take their own vehicles everywhere or they might fly and most of the dirty gutter trash people take public transportation because it's cheap.
😂😂😂😂😂😂👍
My worst experience on Greyhound was an overbooked bus. They called another bus. We followed the diesel bus in front of us from Portland to Tacoma. Breathing was difficult. My complaints were ignored. I asked if we could take the lead for a bit to detox. Greyhound driver had his orders to follow. I avoided taking the bus since. 50 years ago, still avoid bus.
My Greyhound experiences are always terrible lol. I expect delays at this point (Seriously, my bus has only been on time like a total of 4 times out of the 12-16 times I've ridden this bus. Plus, they don't give refunds, like ever. You've basically gotta call your credit card company to bounce back the transaction, because Greyhound certainly won't do it). Great video as always!
These bastards have stolen my luggage on two separate occasions. Late, delayed for HOURS buses. HORRIBLE, mouthy and rude af ghetto employees.
U can't b on time anymore traffic is worse n more ppl are driving buses n Big trucks cant get around traffic like cars
@terry waller good shit bro. I hate Greyhound this company is shitty all around. Shitty stations, shitty buses, shitty attitude drivers, and customer service reps
I caught a greyhound 3 weeks ago. My trip started in Key Largo, Fl. At a bus stop. Hmmm okay so we made our 1st stop in Miami near the airport. Got to so the down town local gene pool. Shallow end. I knew it was only going to get more interesting from there. So far not much trauma. In Tampa it got a little bit more sketchy. I was now reboarding and a young guy who suffered from PTSD had a pitbull for a emotional support animal. No one was looking forward to having a big pitbull sharing the limited leg space. I told him to sit with me as long as he took the window seat. The A/C died maybe 10 minutes in to us pulling out of the station. Yippee. Only 9 hours left. It was not only hot but some nut case Karen opened the Emergency window. Cause she was hot. Cops came and took Karen off the bus before we could ring her neck. Needless to say if you want to write a country song take a greyhound. It will practically write it self just from the experience alone.
Hilarious to me,maybe not so much to you!!!
It's called a layover because they screw you over.
🤷🏽she's not gonna care. shes been on that bus all week and the wifi ain't worked all week...so 🤷🏽
#dead 😂
Never had the wifi work
it works...until you get the notice you have reached your limit....
I’ve never been on a bus where the WiFi wasn’t bad 😂😂😂
Download the hell out of whatever media you can.
Also BRING A PORTABLE BATTERY FOR YOUR PHONE! Or you’re going to be hella bored.
Markus Dez Honestly this isn’t a bus specific issue either, the ONLY wifi that actually somewhat worked is the one on the Bullettrain and even that one was somewhat spotty on areas. Decided to just use LTE+Portable, so much better and faster then the wifi
The greyhound Australia buses have charging bits on every seat and the wifi works fine
Yeah you can set your clock by bus/plane/train Wifi not working (yes even on Lux Bus). Use your mobile data or a Skyroam/Nomad if you must be on the internet, otherwise have things downloaded in advance.
First world problems.
Great video, back in the early 80's I traveled on the hound all over the country as I was delivering vans trucks and motorhomes all over the country. In most cases the hound was the only way I could get back home. From your review it sounds like things have just gotten worse. At least back then there wasn't a driver shortage, and I don't recall any problems with lay-overs. Back then people could smoke on the bus which I don't so I always came off stinking like cigarettes. I saw a lot of crazy stuff on buses and wish I'd taken notes, I could write a book. I'm glad somebody can find nice things to say about riding the hound because I wouldn't wish bus travel on my worst enemy.
80% of my travels on greyhound have been satisfactorily
I grew up in an airline family, however I recall as a kid in the 70s, riding a Continental Trailways ‘Golden Eagle’ service from Houston to Dallas. This was a premium service with a hostess, hot food, a first-class experience (at least from the perspective of a 14-year-old kid). That was my only “long haul” bus trip in the US. I did do a Greyhound trip around the whole parameter of Australia in the 90s....never again🤯😖.
As a person who has traveled many, many long trips with greyhound i laughed so hard through this.....all true, and so much more!!!! I have so many stories to tell from my greyhound trips.....got to say ive had some real adventures!!!
Great piece. Some years ago, in the pre-covid era, I took the Hound to NYC. A very fashionable lady took my ticket. Imagine my surprise when she took the seat behind the wheel and proceeded to drive to NYC on time. Best bus trip I ever had.
And that's when you woke up.
My uncle was pulled over and charged with impaired driving while operating a Greyhound bus. Everyone was stranded on the side of the highway for hours before a new driver showed up in a taxi. True story.
What a peach
Reminds me of an old story..."I want to die peacefully, in my sleep, like my Grandfather did. NOT screaming in terror, like his passengers were !"
I actually was laughing about some of the things said in this video. They can be all true! I used to drive for Greyhound back in the day. It was a good company, I can't vouch for them now as I haven't driven a bus in over 20 years. I switched over to truck driving. One of the things mentioned about being late and it might be traffic, reminded me of a late night call from the Charleston WV station. "We need you badly! A passenger got into it with one of our drivers, and cold cocked her while she was driving out of the station. we need a relief driver." Ok, getting over being hit while driving was one thing, but I actually knew this driver! I told them I would be there in about an hour. Since I was the closest driver (I lived in Huntington WV, and had to drive an hour to Charleston. At the time the speed limit was 55.. tells you how long ago that was. Once I got there, I entered the station through the employee entrance, signed in, and went out to the bus I would be driving. Got on the intercom and (be being the jokester i am) stated that I would gladly be accepting passenger tickets for Beckley, Roanoake, Richmond, Raleigh -Durham, and all points south. If you won these lucky tickets are are going this way, ya'll let's go! The manager on duty glared at me and I got "the look" I was verifying tickets, and making sure the passengers needed to be on the bus, when someone got in my face and started yelling at me for not being on time. When they took a breath, I kindly asked them to step to my right, all the while giving them a stone cold look of death through my eyes. Once everyone was on the bus, I turned to them and asked them if I could help them with something, or if they were going to continue to yell at me for something I had no control over. 'YOU were late!! You made US late! how dare you!" Ok, first of all, I calm down. Second of all you have no clue of what you are talking about AND (before they could get a word in) it's none of your business, HOWEVER, I will tell you that I was called in, and i didn't have to be here, and the more that you stand here yelling about things you have no idea about, you are making this bus late, now, I will ask you one more time, Can I help you with something? They looked ashamed at what they had done. They handed me the ticket and said they were sorry. With my blue marker, I put a slash through their ticket and told them to go see the ticket person. I stood there with my arms crossed until they went back in the station. I hauled my butt up them stairs, fastened the seatbelt, honked the horn twice, backed out butts out of there and did my run!
Point being, Don't mess with the drivers. 9 times out 10, they have no idea why they were called into work. I was just lucky to know the driver that was hurt, and back then we all knew each other. The company did a good job at keeping just enough light on the subject so that we really didn't know. Don't go up and get in the employees faces. You probably won't get an answer anyway. Just thought I'd share that with ya.
Things that never happened for 500 please.
Oh you found the daily double.
LOL Yes, I have had nights like that. Drove for Greyhound out of Chicago for 10 years.
Wonderful job back when Dial Corp owned Greyhound. From what I've heard, kind of went downhill when Laidlaw owned Greyhound.
I never put up with crap from a passenger. Even to the point that I would (and have ) pulled up to a Police station. had a few officers escort the problem off the bus. Than get on the intercom and ask if anyone else had an issue. Bus was really quite after that. Found out a few times that some were even wanted in other states on warrants.
But for the most part I tied to have fun on the bus. Even to the point if someone brought a guitar on-board, I ask them if they could play, so they could stay on the bus.....the looks I got were funny. Or getting on the intercom and requesting Freebird, while heading West on I-80.
The Pride and Professionalism will never be the same.
Bought a ticket from Barstow to L.A. They offered regular or express; naturally I opted for express. Asked the ticket counter which lane had my bus. Oh, there's two out there, either one is express. I boarded one of the buses as did many other people. The second bus filled up and departed first. The driver gets onto our bus and then announces this bus had been changed to local service and we'll be stopping at every point in between (adding 2 to 4 hours to our trip). Everyone on board was pissed as it seems we had all been told the same lie. The driver shrugged and said he was just following orders. Greyhound, definitely the choice of last resort.
Great tips. I've rident buses throughout Mexico, central America & the middle east. It's mostly a crapshoot as for passenger comfort. A few times I had to share a seat with a crate of roosters & other farm animals. However, the buses in Mexico are well appointed with more leg room, movies & wifi that actually work. Just my experience.
Good comment, Bill. And this: I've had past experience with the Grey-Dog/Trail-No-Ways busses and Mexican buses.The Mexican ones were in heavy-tourist zones, and were WAAAY better. I'm an "older" guy, and I'm comparring the transit/bus travel systems OF THE 1970's to 'mid '90's. Even with old-style two-land major hwys. that, included, on one trip, the Mex. bus taking a very long time on a modest-height pass of switchbacks, they still very much out-perform the US broken-bus system(s).
We took our teen son on a holiday in the DR, we took a city bus that was quite ancient full of locals, he sat behind us. when the bus was full, an oncoming teen girl promptly sat down on top of him and proceeded to eat oranges, dripping juice all over him. he looked a little surprised, but did not flinch! ha ha!
@@Lauren-vd4qe I traveled by greyhound in June 28th coming back to St Louis were horrible.the bus broke down in Decatur ill.it were 7hours before another bus came to get us
@@brandigreen8059 oh my! look up the story of greyhound bus vince li....truly horrifying...
I'd take the crate of roosters vs. the field. 🤣
Beware if you have to change buses in Knoxville, TN! The old station in downtown was sold, and Greyhound is now using a small Marathon gas station parking lot for their stop. No shelter, no restrooms after the Marathon closes at 10 PM. People have been stranded there for several hours if they missed their connection or the bus has broken down.
That is the case in many cities. In Portland, OR (my home), the downtown bus terminal was closed and the site sold or slated for development. The "station" is now a sidewalk on a rather deserted street a bit north of the train station--or was last time I checked. In the part of town now full of homeless people, (not all of whom, of course, are criminals or drug addicts, or mentally ill, but there are enough with problems that mean I would hesitate to venture to the Greyhound stop).
Wow! I road the greyhound from Texas to California when I was 17, I'm now 36. You do the math, but I remember the ride being smooth and on time. Guess things have changed since then.
Yeah Victoria, Greyhound has changed alot in the past 20 years lol
You're 36 and you still don't know how to spell "rode". It's definitely not the math that you need to be doing.
Victoria Sauceda if on time you mean the same day...Lol. I took Doghound for 4 years in college in the 80s. It was never on time
American Highlander Another “perfect “ personality that has never made an error. Karma heading your way.
@@victoriasauceda83 maybe he is an unemployed grammar teacher trying to stay sharp 😅
Boy you hit this right on spot everything you said is exactly right good advice for a new Rider
Dont expect all of the bathrooms at all of the stops to be clean. Also NOT every stop has a place inside where you can wait. I have ran into several stops going down to South Florida that did NOT have a inside waiting area. It was a picnic table outside with no cover.
There’s actually toilet also on the back of the bus, if the bus has a nasty lingering oder, now you know why!
@@sonyafox3271 I've never found a toilet at a bus rest stop (or train station) to be as bad as an on--board bus toilet--or, sometimes, Amtrak bathroom or airplane lavatory. Some people are just pigs.
Want to enjoy travel at all? You gotta be flexible.
Want to enjoy travel by bus? You gotta be more flexible than THAT.
A sense of humor, a taste for adventure, and a thick skin all come in handy too.
You did an absolutely excellent job in this report. I worked for greyhound for 10yrs and I was also a passenger for many more years. Everything you said is true
Greyhound is scary. My memory = crazy woman singing "Big Girls Don't Cry" as she pulled a 12 inch blade out of her purse.
And the babies scream and poop on every bus!
The simple solution to any employee shortage, get ready for it, is to pay them more money.
By the way good video and I like your presentation style, clear and easy to understand ;)
driving up the ticket prices, and low price is the only thing remotely appealing about riding a stinky bus with a bunch of hooligans for 48 hours.
You nailed it my wife and I had to sit on opposite ends of the bus from Tyler to Dallas wifi is a joke the ac was good we had a long layover in Memphis because a driver didn't show I also loved the 10 no 5 maybe 3 good things about greyhound you sir are optimistic! What I have learned is that if you have a time you need to be at a destination than go a day ahead like you said as long as they have full busses they will not fix their problems
“You won’t get to your destination on time, but you will get there.” Put that in the advertising copy and run it!
My experience was decades ago and involved trips between San Diego and Los Angeles. I never had problems, but those were short and long ago. As for late buses, they travel on roadways that are also used by cars, trucks, and other buses. It would be impossible to predict accurately how long a trip might take. Also, Amtrak is also often late. I had a train trip from Las Vegas to L. A. and waited about 8 hours for the train to get from Salt Lake City to Vegas. It turned out that Union Pacific, which owns and operates the tracks, had a derailment, and it took that long to clear and repair the rails. Amtrak also had to wait for a relief crew since the operators on the train had reached their time limit. They did give us a great meal on board for free.
My first long haul Grsyhound trip: on the overnight from NYC to Pittsburgh, the driver started weaving back and forth across the road. Eventually, he gets pulled over by the State Police, and gets a warning. 20 miles he pulls over at a motel and leaves the bus. I figured we were getting a fresh driver, but 40 minutes later, he's back, jacked up on something, and drove the rest of the route with no issues.
Traveling to Indiana from Chattanooga next week and I’m 20. Was nervous and have been watching your videos and I feel ready and more informed. Thanks Tim!
dee b how’d it go? Gonna take a bus to Miami here in a month
I'm 19 I was gonna go GA to VA and like now I don't wanna go
Did you survived the hellish trip?
@@ezragonzalez8936 yes I did! I had no problems and made it safe with no delays.
@@geeeeeked3533 sorry I didn’t see this. Very well and I had no delays. I ended up using the bus again to go from Chattanooga to Atlanta.
I don't know why the bus service in America is so bad. Even in Latin America they have top of the line service. I took an overnight bus from Buenos Aires to the resort town of Bariloche in Argentina a few years ago. It was a two level state of the art bus with comfortable seat-beds, great food/drinks (included) served by uniformed staff, individual TVscreen with full entertainment. Most comfortable and luxurious bus ride ever. It was like flying first class.
money. in murica it always boils down to money.
I love the fact he air quoted maintenance check😂 he knows damn well they take things they not supposed to, but he’s being nice and not fully jumping to conclusion
Do they really do that
My wife, daughter and I went from Minnesota to Florida for Christmas 2018. We had a few hiccups but mostly everyone was kind and courteous toward us. I took 2 weeks of vacation just so if something happened I would have plenty of time to get there and back. I would ride Greyhound again.
Listening To A Radio, That Isn't There?LOL! Very Accurate Sir!
Surprisingly, I've only ever had issues with Greyhounds when going through Atlanta. I've done a few trips with Greyhound.... both of which were multiple days/states. (WA > AL which was fun, as it was in winter and someone had managed to overturn their truck on the main highway into Colorado from Wyoming) and then (AL > Boston, which was 5 hours late before I even got on it, and subsequently missed a flight.... yeah.... But Greyhound did refund me the journey, so that was nice)
@Isaiah Fenior I often felt, banging your head against the road was a more enjoyable and reasonable experience than the Atlanta station.
I travel heavily by bus from
NYC throughout the northeast and have experienced horrible delays and have even been left stranded curbside by Greyhound. Never an issue with Megabus, Peter Pan, Coach USA, Martz, Academy, and even (better believe it) the Chinatown lines. It’s just an overall terrible experience x’s 100 from NYC’s infamous Port Authority Bus Terminal.
All the other bus lines are better than greyhound
I first traveled Greyhound in 1963;; did a lot of traveling by bus, then mainly by Amtrak, and a few sporadic trips by Greyhound after about 1990, the last in 2018. The travel experience has definitely gone way, way downhill. Greyhound did have a subsidiary called Bolt Bus connecting major cities in the Northeast and Pacific coast regions, and that was both cheap and very good--clean, comfortable seats, pretty reliable. But that was discontinued during Covid, and I don't know if it is back again.
It seems it you have a bit of patience and understanding (like the gentleman in this video) your Greyhound Trip might not be that bad. Thanks for the helpful tips.
Customer: I have priority boarding
Greyhound: wt are we supposed to do about it?
Customer: maybe just maybe. Prioritize my boarding😂
This is why you should use Amtrak
More like Scam-trak am I right?! *high five*
My first greyhound trip is tomorrow morning...all I have to say is thank u for lowering my expectations of greyhound. No wonder why the tickets are super cheap haha
Have to Why do I what was the route and how was it?
How was the ride ? I wanna take a trip so I’m nervous
How was it?
I been taking GH since I was 4 things changed in like last 2 years
How did it go
I haven’t sat in a window seat on any transportation since 1953. I was riding the bus from NY City to Philly and had chosen a window seat. A hugely obese older woman sat next to me. During the ride she experienced explosive bowel and bladder incontinence plus vomiting. It was a Trailways bus rather than a Grayhound, but you get the idea.
Greyhound? More like the "CRACKHOUND"
cmandc301 THANK U FOR SAYING THIS
Looks like you triggered a crackhead lol
@@derperder5201 I knew Marc since high school and he is indeed a crackhead and rampant alcoholic
@@derperder5201 LMFAO
It’s Funny How They Expect You To Be There On Time, Yet They Don’t Show Up On Time.
😆 so damn true.
Taking my first ride on Thursday. Thanks for the many informative videos for newbs like me.
What a great video full of actual good advice!! I hope anyone planning to take a Greyhound bus watches this.
I rode Greyhound from October 2010 thru August 2011. I dont know what its like now but I give them an A+ for the time I rode with them.The only problem that I had was overcrowding but people disperse pretty quickly.
Getting stranded is the worst
my husband said that round trip ticket is a trick to make you pay more!!! go with one way ticket instead.
Just the title of your video made me smile. Back in '73, my father and I rode a Greyhound from Cleveland to southern Alabama. Got on the bus and they moved us to Erie, PA. (?). Then they moved us back to Cleveland. 4 hours wasted.
Your videos are informative but hilarious. I’ve never been on a Greyhound bus but now I want to just to see what the hell will go wrong and laugh about it.
Thanks for the tips! Nicely presented. Last year I had to take a bus trip from Cleveland to Boston. 1. Retired bus driver. 2. Had to handle my own luggage between stops - - if i didn't - nobody cared. 3. NO READING LIGHTS allowed - - I heard something drop from my bag, used my phone light near the floor to find it - - bus driver shouted, "Turn that light off - you're blinding me." - - didn't find it - - later - - turned out to be the DASH CAM from the WRECK I had had (reason for bus trip). LOST 4. Greyhound is not greyhound anymore. You never know WHOSE bus you're on - - Peter pan, greyhound, trailways, allegheny, - - who knows.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
Greyhound was stellar in the 60’s, generally good in the 70’s, and “OK” in the early 80’s. Of course there were no fancy do-dads like WiFi, power outlets, adjustable lights & vents, etc. There were three activities: chatting with people, reading, and snoozing. Crazy people generally took cheap regional lines, so that part was better too. The change over the past 35-40 years reflects a low priority by the DOT to assure decent transportation for those who are economically forced to use it. So sad.
Greyhound is not owned by the same company, as back in the 80's. In fact it's current owners is a British Company. Back than the drivers prided themselves with being on time, their Uniforms, the Buses, and happy customers. But times have changed. Sadly, not for the better.
Retired Chicago Greyhound driver.
@@jeffherdz every summer I rode Greyhound from St. Joseph, Missouri to Chicago - maybe I was one of your passengers!
@@marcmckenzie5110 Most of the time I did runs from Chicago to Ogallala, Nebraska or Chicago to Marquette, Michigan or Memphis, Tenn.
Or stuck on Cleveland. Which I hated running.
In the 60s I took lots of bus trips. Living in Chicago. I preferred the Continental Trail ways busses. They all had a back window then, I, being in my teens, loved it. Not in a hurry to get anywhere, see the country, meet folks, less people and traffic in those days
@@jeffherdz I'm an old school trailways driver.
Greyhound was bought by an investor group that ran trailways . They then moved the company headquarters to Dallas and the trailways shop at 315 Continental Ave became the Greyhound shop. The worst thing that came from that was Greyhound let go of Eagle International in Brownsville TX where they made eagle's. The silver eagle changed bus travel in 1958 . It was the best coach ever made.
Thank you so much for this video. Your candor and your sense of humor helped "the medicine go down" as they say, but to me, a 76 year old woman with not so good health, it sounds nearly unbearable! 🥴 I really want to go see my sister in Tennessee (I live in California) but I think I'd best wait until I can save enough money to fly. ☹️ I like your delivery style, and your great communication skills and wish you the best in your efforts. Thanks again, Sharron ⚘️
One time I took a Greyhound from my hometown (New York City) to Syracuse, NY in order to visit a friend. There was a snow storm coming and instead of canceling the route temporarily they decided to power through. About 2 hours in the storm hit. The roads were no longer passable. Several of us had to get out and help push the bus on multiple occasions.
Yooo 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Holy shit
That sounds lit asf
You should’ve taken the train.
Um, how many people does it take to push a Greyhound bus?
I agree with you 100% about priority seating. I've never seen it honored. I find your videos so entertaining. Thank you!
I just keep the bus trips relatively short... My longest trip (in miles) was from Tallahassee to Miami. I usually just go to ATL, JAX, or Orlando. Only had a driver issue a couple of times; the delay was an hour one time. The other time, the schedule was canceled and the trip was prolonged by five hours. Buses are rarely cold in my experiences, but I'm always hot.
I'm going on a 3,500 mile trip from Southern Florida to Seattle, Washington tomorrow at 10am, wish me luck! I previously took the hound from Philly to Montreal regularly from 2011-2014, so I've experienced a lot of these bad things, so I'm expecting the worst! But I am so excited to see the whole country via a greyhound bus!
Damn ... I changed my mind ... I don't want to go!!! Can I get my money back?? LOL
I think that guy with his shirt off, missing a shoe and listening to a radio that isn't there is my uncle! Where did you see him? Hahaha great video. I haven't been on a bus since around 1977 when I got out of the army but I enjoyed your video thank you for your time.
Hmm shortage of driver huh? I guess that explains my 8 hour layover in Denver 4 hour layover in salt lake. Oh! He's right about the outlets 90% of the time they didn't work.
In addition to being cold, the bus usually SMELLS BAD! Usually urine or body odor. Like funky bad. I’ve been on several greyhound. My only advice is sit near the front. The door opens often and lets fresh air in. The LA station in California almost always has someone on drugs tweaking around the station while you’re stuck there for 2 hours, waiting for the bus transitions.
As far as the rest of the video, it’s 100% accurate.
I'm leaving Minnesota on the 9th.. not my first greyhound trip. That one was in 2011. And all those things did indeed happen.. lost my luggage too. Luckily they had tags that I put on them as well.. some lady In dallas tx tried to pick a fight with me during a layover there and had some guy try to sell me weed. It was nuts!
When I. Was eighteen in 1978, I took a Greyhound bus from Tucson AZ. To Dayton Ohio, it took four days and it was the worse experience in my life, since then, I had vowed to never again to take a bus trip again, and I have kept that vow tó this day.
"It's gonna be cold, cooooold! " Love it!
Nice job being real and sharing. 🙏🌟
I rode greyhound from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon getting the milk run up highway 101 where they stop at every little town. Because of the endless twisting
road I could not sleep.Needed a pillow. Many times we had to leave the bus. Food was terrible and over-priced in small towns in the middle of the night.
Remember that guy that killed that other guy and ate him on the bus
That was like 10 years ago in Canada
I've been through the Dallas station many times..it is SCARY.. that was probably on the stop the guy got his face eaten..or somewhere a stop or two away
@@fundyourlifestyle i dont think ot matters when it happened.. Its the fact that it happened at all...sooooo horrible this is the first i heard about it
I used it once. Traveled from nm to co. Bus left the station like 1am and got to Pueblo like at 5-6am. One stop in between. It wasn’t bad. Not too packed. Short bus ride.
I appreciate your videos. And thanks for adding a little humor. Good advice.
so you're telling me to take greyhound by myself in the middle of the night? im in!
I'm getting on a grayhound for my first time luckily I turn 17 wen I get on n I get my I'd tmrw
Someone brings a service cat on and sits next to you. You tell them you are extremely allergic, to which they reply that they are, too! You are on bus together for about 24 hours, so you are all stuffed up and lose hearing due to clogged ears. Then, you cannot understand the driver's announcements, or anything...gosh I could keep writing comments!
I was a 13 year old traveling alone on Greyhound from Charleston SC to Miami Florida visiting my father back in the 1970s with no major problems concerning bus operations, I'm sure things are different today.
My son was a Trekkie, the Enterprise hull number was his computer password- probably just like a thousand others too.☺
@@BeachsideHank 😊 🖖
If you put your kid on a Greyhound now days, that would be considered neglect.
Thanks for the heads up.
Almost 15 years ago now, but I took a Greyhound from St. Louis to Maine and I have to say that by far it was the worst travel experience of my life. Never going to happen again.
Exactly true folks , just lower your expectations and enjoy the experience. You’ll eventually get there !