Greyhound non-station stop and booking questions

I want to take a bus from Omaha, NE (Amtrak) to Manhattan, KS. I can see on the Greyhound website that the bus connects through Kansas City (horrible schedule, ugh), and that the nearest "Greyhound bus station" is in Junction City. BUT the bus goes right by the Manhattan intersection on the freeway (where there are service businesses), and that would be way more convenient for the relatives to pick us up.

So my question is: Does Greyhound allow passenger pick-up/drop-off at other than their (150-plus miles apart) stations? How do you find the locations where they will do this? And how do you actually book those trips?

I am guessing this requires a call to an actual person at Greyhound. I just tried their phone system, and I must say, Gracie makes Julie look like a genius.

I don't believe so. My guess is that they have them spread out to consolidate the stops (less stops = less time lost to stops.)

I doubt it. Would the driver even know where to drop you off, and what kind of liability issues would there be using unauthorized stops? Letting someone off outside of their published stops just opens up a lot of issues that I doubt they want to deal with.

Greyhound's website says:

Curbside stops
Curbside stops have limited facilities - some are just marked with a curbside sign while others may have a waiting area. These stops have no ticket facilities and no staff to provide assistance (but of course the driver will be there to help with boarding and baggage if you need).

Here are some example locations of curbside stops:

• A simple, marked stop alongside a road
• Stop at a gas station
• Stop at a local airport or transport center

There are two kinds of curbside stops:

Get on and off: You can get a ticket that either goes to or leaves that specific bus stop.
Get off only: You can get a ticket that goes to that specific bus stop, but not a ticket that leaves that stop.
(Only the appropriate stops will show up in the To and From fields when you book your trip.)

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I am most interested in the "stop at a gas station" and I would like to know if anyone has any personal experience with this kind of stop.

But those "curbside stops" are included in the Greyhound booking engine, right? It sounds like you're talking about asking the driver to pull off the freeway to make a stop at a non-scheduled location. That seems like a stretch. You might get a sympathetic driver, but more likely they'd stick to company policy rather than risking a delay.

That said, it's bizarre that Greyhound skips Manhattan considering its home to a large state university.

oregon pioneer said:

I am most interested in the "stop at a gas station" and I would like to know if anyone has any personal experience with this kind of stop.

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No personal experience, but it sounds like those are scheduled stops and not an impromptu stop requested by a passenger.

What's that line from Speed when a bus driver picks up a passenger running towards the bus?

This ain't no bus stop.

Here's a location at a gas station. They seem to have package delivery and a ticket office - probably inside the gas station with the station employees doubling as Greyhound agents.

http://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/california/vallejo/bus-station-893981

And I looked up the location on Google Maps, and I see a Greyhound bus.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.1448238,-122.2344673,3a,15y,351.2h,89.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sE1jGRb-0zbOmrAPwrZwkoQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

Road Runner goes from KC airport to Manhattan some 6 times a day but this shuttle costs $85.

http://www.kciroadrunner.com/schedule.php

I also know that they *used to* stop (within the last 15 years) at places between formal stations. My husband went to a training in Las Vegas by bus, and said on his trip that they picked someone up that was waiting in a car in the middle-of-nowhere-Nevada.

But I found this article from 2005 (after Hubby went to Las Vegas), and it implies, without specifically saying so, that the Dog won't stop anywhere between scheduled station stops any more. :angry:

Still looking for someone that might have personal experience.

I'm sorry, but they don't understand the basis of the problem. Greyhound doesn't serve Omaha. And Greyhound doesn't serve Manhattan. Greyhound pulled out of Omaha back in December 2012. Whatever you see on the website cannot be a Greyhound schedule. So, you'd best find another option. I might be able to help you with that, but you first must understand NO GREYHOUND IN OMAHA. No offence, just putting it out there.

Jefferson Lines is in Omaha, and they interline with Greyhound. I think the OP is looking at a trip from Omaha to as close to Manhatten, KS as possible on the Greyhound website, and is wondering if the bus that goes to Junction City would, in essence, do a flag stop in Manhatten.

Swadian Hardcore said:

I'm sorry, but they don't understand the basis of the problem. Greyhound doesn't serve Omaha. And Greyhound doesn't serve Manhattan. Greyhound pulled out of Omaha back in December 2012. Whatever you see on the website cannot be a Greyhound schedule. So, you'd best find another option. I might be able to help you with that, but you first must understand NO GREYHOUND IN OMAHA. No offence, just putting it out there.

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Sure about that?

http://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/nebraska/omaha/bus-station-580393

Bus Station Address:

Burlington Trailways Sta

1601 Jackson St

Omaha, NE 68102

I can get Omaha, NE to Junction City, KS. However, I don't believe it goes through Manhattan. If you look at the bus fare finder it comes up with a direct trip through Manhattan. But if you actually book it's Omaha to Kansas City on Jefferson Lines 501, with a transfer to Greyhound 1863.

Yeah, Greyhound is very good about interlining and making it look relatively similar to a regular Greyhound route. The new website makes the interlining a bit more noticeable, but for most people the booking experience and pre trip experience makes it feel more like a "(small airline) operating as (legacy carrier's regional brand)" than as a distinct service from a distinct, fully independent company.

jebr said:

Jefferson Lines is in Omaha, and they interline with Greyhound. I think the OP is looking at a trip from Omaha to as close to Manhatten, KS as possible on the Greyhound website, and is wondering if the bus that goes to Junction City would, in essence, do a flag stop in Manhatten.

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They won't do that. When I finally got to the actual route, it was Omaha to KC, then KC to Junction City - so it doesn't pass through Manhattan at all. The maps it shows is different between "Bus Fare Finder" and "Book Your Trip". However, I'm pretty sure the latter is closer to the actual route they'll take.

The route they show from "Bus Fare Finder" seems to be some sort of route like a mapping program would show. However, it says "Bus trips as Fast as 10 Hours 20 Minutes" even though the direct route should take maybe 3.5 hours max. 10 hours is what it takes through KC with the transfer time.

I'd look into renting a car and driving from Omaha to Manhattan.

Lots quicker and you can probably get a good deal, Omaha isn't exactly New York City!

Bob Dylan said:

I'd look into renting a car and driving from Omaha to Manhattan.

Lots quicker and you can probably get a good deal, Omaha isn't exactly New York City!

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The OP said that relatives are picking up, and I'm guessing they're in Manhattan. If that's the case, it would be easiest for said relatives to just drive to Junction City.

oregon pioneer said:

I also know that they *used to* stop (within the last 15 years) at places between formal stations. My husband went to a training in Las Vegas by bus, and said on his trip that they picked someone up that was waiting in a car in the middle-of-nowhere-Nevada.

But I found this article from 2005 (after Hubby went to Las Vegas), and it implies, without specifically saying so, that the Dog won't stop anywhere between scheduled station stops any more. :angry:

Still looking for someone that might have personal experience.

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That was talking about flag stops as well as rural stations. A flag stop was still something that was listed as a designated stop. The driver would drive by and would stop if there was a passenger scheduled to get off and/or there was a passenger waving down the driver. Boarding passengers would either have a ticket (which might not have been that common back then) or the passenger would need to buy a ticket at the next staffed station before continuing. It was basically like a public transit bus stop where the driver had to drive by but where the stop could be bypassed if there was nobody to use that stop.

So the short answer is no they won't stop in Manhattan. Not only that, but the route from Omaha to Junction City doesn't even go through Manhattan. The map you were looking at isn't the actual route, which is Omaha-KC-Junction City.

fairviewroad said:

But those "curbside stops" are included in the Greyhound booking engine, right? It sounds like you're talking about asking the driver to pull off the freeway to make a stop at a non-scheduled location. That seems like a stretch. You might get a sympathetic driver, but more likely they'd stick to company policy rather than risking a delay.

That said, it's bizarre that Greyhound skips Manhattan considering its home to a large state university.

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Totally agree....the route does pass fairly close to Manhattan (On I-70/US-40). Indeed strange that they would not at least run one daily trip over parallel US-24 between Topeka and Junction City to serve the home of Kansas State U. But then, that seems to be the "road taken" by them all over the US in the last few years....they bypass a lot of potential cities on routes such as I-95 and many others, for example...

I suppose their "bean-counters" ran a cost-benefit analysis over making these stops, or taking a faster route and bypassing them would be the bottom line choice.....

railiner said:

fairviewroad said:

But those "curbside stops" are included in the Greyhound booking engine, right? It sounds like you're talking about asking the driver to pull off the freeway to make a stop at a non-scheduled location. That seems like a stretch. You might get a sympathetic driver, but more likely they'd stick to company policy rather than risking a delay.

That said, it's bizarre that Greyhound skips Manhattan considering its home to a large state university.

Click to expand...

Totally agree....the route does pass fairly close to Manhattan (On I-70/US-40). Indeed strange that they would not at least run one daily trip over parallel US-24 between Topeka and Junction City to serve the home of Kansas State U. But then, that seems to be the "road taken" by them all over the US in the last few years....they bypass a lot of potential cities on routes such as I-95 and many others, for example...

I suppose their "bean-counters" ran a cost-benefit analysis over making these stops, or taking a faster route and bypassing them would be the bottom line choice.....

Click to expand...

Not even asking for Manhattan, just the service area at the junction of I-70 and 177 (the relatives are actually to the south). Greyhound does stop at places like that, sometimes just for food, smoke, or restroom breaks. But it seems that, even though they list that type of stop on their website, you can actually only buy a ticket online for a "station" as listed in the drop-down menu. I have emailed through the contact page and asked... I will report back, if I do get an answer.

The fact that the bus from Omaha to KC is not a Greyhound bus is irrelevant to this discussion. Yes, I know that buses booked through the Greyhound site may not actually be Greyhound buses. I check the schedule carefully. The 2:30am arrival in Junction City is way more of a deterrent to me than the interlining.

oregon pioneer said:

railiner said:

fairviewroad said:

But those "curbside stops" are included in the Greyhound booking engine, right? It sounds like you're talking about asking the driver to pull off the freeway to make a stop at a non-scheduled location. That seems like a stretch. You might get a sympathetic driver, but more likely they'd stick to company policy rather than risking a delay.

That said, it's bizarre that Greyhound skips Manhattan considering its home to a large state university.

Click to expand...

Totally agree....the route does pass fairly close to Manhattan (On I-70/US-40). Indeed strange that they would not at least run one daily trip over parallel US-24 between Topeka and Junction City to serve the home of Kansas State U. But then, that seems to be the "road taken" by them all over the US in the last few years....they bypass a lot of potential cities on routes such as I-95 and many others, for example...
I suppose their "bean-counters" ran a cost-benefit analysis over making these stops, or taking a faster route and bypassing them would be the bottom line choice.....

Click to expand...

Not even asking for Manhattan, just the service area at the junction of I-70 and 177 (the relatives are actually to the south). Greyhound does stop at places like that, sometimes just for food, smoke, or restroom breaks. But it seems that, even though they list that type of stop on their website, you can actually only buy a ticket online for a "station" as listed in the drop-down menu. I have emailed through the contact page and asked... I will report back, if I do get an answer.

The fact that the bus from Omaha to KC is not a Greyhound bus is irrelevant to this discussion. Yes, I know that buses booked through the Greyhound site may not actually be Greyhound buses. I check the schedule carefully. The 2:30am arrival in Junction City is way more of a deterrent to me than the interlining.

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There are actually two buses per day from KC to Junction city. #1675 is going to be too early to connect with Jefferson Lines #501. #1683 goes from New York City to Los Angeles. Here's the full timetable.

http://bustracker.greyhound.com/routes/1683/I/New_York_NY-Los_Angeles_CA/1683/12-23-2015

They list all the scheduled rest stops (a sign with an R). The first scheduled rest stop is Salina. They're not stopping at that intersection you mentioned. It's just over four hours from KC to Salina, so throwing in a rest stop at some random freeway interchange makes no sense.

oregon pioneer said:

Not even asking for Manhattan, just the service area at the junction of I-70 and 177 (the relatives are actually to the south). Greyhound does stop at places like that, sometimes just for food, smoke, or restroom breaks. But it seems that, even though they list that type of stop on their website, you can actually only buy a ticket online for a "station" as listed in the drop-down menu. I have emailed through the contact page and asked... I will report back, if I do get an answer.

Click to expand...

Is there really anything at I-70 and 177? I don't see anything (outside of a business selling prefab homes) unless something was built recently.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/KS-177+%26+I-70,+Manhattan,+KS+66502/@39.0614272,-96.5389771,17z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x87bc2dd3a4c31dd1:0xd1b224d3d7ef2809

As far as I can tell, they don't have any "rest stop" that isn't otherwise listed. For 1683, the only rest stops listed are Sliding Rock, PA and the Barstow (CA) Travel Center. However, the former is not really a town and I found one claim that it's the Sideling Hill Service Plaza on the PA Turnpike. I can't find anyway to book a trip to or from this rest stop.

https://www.paturnpike.com/travel/plaza_locations/sideling.aspx

I can't even book 1683 to Barstow, so there are some bus stops where one can't officially buy a ticket for a specific bus number. Even though 1683 has a rest stop there, the official schedule forces a transfer in Las Vegas to 6021, even though the "station" location for Barstow is the same as the rest stop.

fairviewroad said:

But those "curbside stops" are included in the Greyhound booking engine, right? It sounds like you're talking about asking the driver to pull off the freeway to make a stop at a non-scheduled location. That seems like a stretch. You might get a sympathetic driver, but more likely they'd stick to company policy rather than risking a delay.

That said, it's bizarre that Greyhound skips Manhattan considering its home to a large state university.

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Sure it's odd. What transport options are there to get to KState? I suppose there's the airport, but I looked it up and all they have is service to DFW and Chicago via American Eagle. Doesn't make that much sense for a large state university. I also found this:

http://www.rileycountyks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/11711

The Wikipedia page on Manhattan claims that Amtrak discontinued service when they took over from UP.

However, the OP clarified that she doesn't really want Manhattan but some point closer to her relatives. It sounds like the OP is grasping at straws to get something out of Greyhound that they've never done. The junction that she mentioned doesn't really have anything other than the interchange and one random business. As far as I can tell, the "middle of nowhere" pickups and drop-offs they did were always published locations, even if they were only simple curbside bus/flag stops or stops at gas stations or other businesses.

Chaz said:

Road Runner goes from KC airport to Manhattan some 6 times a day but this shuttle costs $85.

http://www.kciroadrunner.com/schedule.php

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$80. $85 is to Junction City.

That being said, they do have a $35 Junction City to Manhattan fare. However, I'm not sure if walking 1.5 miles at 3 AM is such a great idea if you're combining the Greyhound ride. It looks like the first bus is at about 6 AM at the Holiday Inn Express.

Guys, I will attempt to explain things clearly. What I am about to say is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If you do not believe me or attempt to challenge me, then you are mistaken, because I have the facts and I know that I am right.

Greyhound doesn't go to Omaha and Greyhound doesn't go to Manhattan. You cannot ride a Greyhound bus to/from Omaha and you cannot ride a Greyhound bus to/from Manhattan. Period.

Yes, you can find an "Omaha" address on Greyhound's website. That doesn't mean they go to Omaha. Johannesburg is shown on AA's website, but AA doesn't fly to Johannesburg.

Yes, one may book a bus ticket on Greyhound's website that goes from Omaha to Kansas City. But that ticket would be for a schedule operated by Jefferson. Just like how one may book a flight on AA's website to Johannesburg, even though AA doesn't go to Johannesburg.

Neither Jefferson nor Greyhound nor any other carrier available on Greyhound's website goes to Manhattan.

The Greyhound service to Junction City is on the New York City-Las Vegas/Los Angeles route. After departing from Kansas City, it stops at Topeka and Junction City before reaching the driver change location at Salina. Those are all the stops and the only stops that this route makes between Kansas City and Salina. The route stops for an hour (or more) in Kansas City and for 30 minutes in Salina. There is no need for further rest stops. From Salina it will continue to Denver and beyond.

In summary, Greyhound DOES NOT serve Omaha or Manhattan. Anybody wishing to travel from Omaha to Manhattan may not travel on a Greyhound vehicle. If one insists on booking through Greyhound's website, it is possible to book a Jefferson schedule from Omaha to Kansas City. However, neither Jefferson nor Greyhound serves Manhattan.

After presenting the facts above, I will now give my opinion. If you're going to be riding on Jefferson, book on Jefferson's website, not Greyhound's website. It is better to completely forget any notion of riding "Greyhound" from Omaha to Manhattan, because you will not see a single Greyhound vehicle in Omaha or in Manhattan.

http://extranet.greyhound.com/Revsup/schedules/.

In some cases, Greyhound's rest stop is not always the same location as a station stop....indeed, sometimes the trip will make both stops.

This thread has me thinking back to 'once-upon-a-timetable', in Greyhound's history....

At one point they were allowing driver's to pick up and discharge passenger's at regular toll road rest stops, provided all appropriate local traffic restrictions were in compliance.

In another case, specifically in North Dakota on I-94, many of the schedules displayed an 'X' reference mark at local towns, indicating: "Interstate Highway. Will stop at interchange for local passengers." Source: Table 509 dated 23 Jun 1971. It is somewhat vague, as it doesn't say what if any arrangements would have to be made to board. What is even more confusing is some of the schedules showed a time at the city, rather than an 'X'. There was also some schedules that showed an arrow clearly indicating that it would not make a stop there. Based on all that, my guess is that they would discharge at any interchange with an 'X' or time shown, and that they would pull off and look for boarding passenger's only where there was a time shown...

There are other timetables around the country that indicate "OC" or On Call...or sometimes "CD" or Call and Demand....in those cases they published a telephone number and time limit to call to arrange pick up.

While it would be nice if they would make such accommodation today, I kind of doubt that they would want to complicate the status quo......

To Jeb: Yeah, I know.

To BCL: Just stop it. You don't know half of what you're talking about.

To Railiner: Unfortunately, Greyhound doesn't serve North Dakota anymore.

To the OP: I've given you the facts. Don't try to ride a Greyhound bus to Manhattan. It ain't happening.