Greyhound-operated Thruway

I am wondering how Amtrak guarantees seats on Greyhound-operated Thruway services, especially because these services are not Amtrak-exclusive buses-- I can purchase the exact same ticket, bus-only, on the Greyhound website. It is my understanding that Greyhound buses can be overbooked, thus causing passengers to wait for the next bus. If I wanted to book, for example, the IND-CHI portion of a Thruway bus that is scheduled LVL-IND-CHI, how does Amtrak guarantee a seat if Greyhound can't guarantee a seat to its own direct customers?

I can't answer for that example you give, but I have used the Las Vegas to LAX Throughway bus, operated by Greyhound. The Amtrak ticketed passengers line up at a seperate line, and board first. Whether this is the practice elsewhere I can't say. I have never read any posts on AU where Amtrak throughway folk were left behind due to a full bus...

Ed

I was boarded as a normal passenger for the thruway bus from SLC - TFI (continuing on to Boise.) I'm not sure if they could guarantee me a seat, but I did get one.

I can't say for certain, but I think I read that Greyhound no longer overbooks.

Greyhound doesn't overbook themselves anymore, they updated the system and got rid of the 102D3s. But Amtrak tickets aren't guaranteed on Greyhound. I've seen Amtrak-ticketed passengers forced to stand on Greyhound, in 2014, because Greyhound had already sold out the bus. Standing on motorcoaches is against DOT regulations, but the driver didn't want to leave the passengers because they would miss their train connection. It was a Las Vegas-Denver run and the Amtrak passengers tried to get on at Vail to get to Denver and connect with the CZ.

Basically, if you buy a Greyhound ticket on a route that's only sold by Greyhound, say, if you buy a Sacramento-Portland Greyhound ticket, you won't get overbooked. But if you buy an Amtrak ticket for a Greyhound bus , then it all goes down the toilet.

There's also other companies that are allied to Greyhound and they still overbook because they don't have a computer system that can prevent overbooking.

Greyhound has only had the new system for a few months or maybe a year. Anything you hear from before 2014 is useless since they updated the system.

Someone in another thread said that Amtrak is now specifically booking tickets in Greyhound's system when Amtrak books tickets.

Of course, there are still Trailways (etc.) tickets to cause overbooking -- Trailways companies don't all *have* computer systems.

If that's true, that's good. That should deal with the overbooking on Greyhound, if Trailways selling Greyhound tickets agrees to book through Trips.

Thanks so much! Helpful to know that some people have had success.

Oh, just to let you know, Greyhound has no buses originating Fromm Louisville. They actually come from Nashville or Atlanta. Maybe somewhere else, too.