How does Greyhound manage transfers?

[caravanman]

Hi,

I have quite a lot of experience with Amtrak, but have never transfered on Greyhound, always had a single bus end to end journey.

My question is that if I need to transfer from my original bus and connect with a new bus, is there any chance that I will be left stranded mid - journey, if the second bus is already full?

I am unsure about whether Greyhound has reserved seats, do they issue tickets ad infinitum, first come first seated, or is it pretty well organised and regulated?

Ed

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

This should be the most updated information that I can get after Greyhound introduced their new yield-management system in 2013. Anything anyone said before 2013 is useless because the new system is a big change from the old.

On most Greyhound routes they have reserved seating, I can confirm this because I see schedules showing as SOLD OUT all the time when in high season. But some independant agents end up overbooking from small stops like Roseville due to unexplained reasons.

Greyhound may allow an overbooking or two if they anticipate cancellations and no-shows. On my New Years rides, the coaches were pefectly sold out, not a seat left out but no one left behind. So they usually don't overbook, but maybe two pax just didn't show up.

If the schedule gets sold out early on, Greyhound may plan an extra coach then reopen the schedule to booking.

On pooled routes, where coaches are shared with allied operators like Peter Pan or Trailways, then Greyhound still uses the old system: if the bus is crowded, you basically scrap to get on or you have to take the next bus. Or hope that they will have an extra bus available.

IMPORTANT IN TRANSFERS: You will be responsible for ALL your own bags. This includes your Checked Baggage. Nothing will be transffered for you but you may ask for assistance from Baggage Handlers. This is why people keeps losing their bags: they forget to transfer them.

In the end any complaint like, "Greyhound lost my bags!" is pointless because Greyhound CANNOT lose your bags, you have responsibility over them at all time, not Greyhound! If you forget your bags, then you lose your bags.

Also, ID is required for all passengers. Last time I rode, I saw the driver individually checking the ID of each passenger and matching to the name on the ticket.

In summary:

1. Don't worry about overbooking unless you travel on a pooled route.

2. Remember to transfer ALL your bags.

3. Bring ID and keep it with you at all times.

4. To avoid bad coaches, do not ride any routes based from Seattle, this also includes Portland-Sacramento and Portland-Spokane, but does not Denver-Portland, which usually gets excellent coaches.

Not too hard for me except the last one, I really hope Greyhound will upgrade Seattle soon.

 

[Train2104]

I've ridden GLI a few times, although only Express trips. Sometimes during peak season they run two buses.

I've never seen "sold out" in the reservation system on non-express trips, nor have I seen yield management pricing beyond the fixed holiday/weekend premiums on any trips.

If you print your ticket online, ID verification is required. If you buy a ticket at the terminal (either in advance or day of) no ID is required on boarding.

 

[caravanman]

Thanks for the info, no problems with ID, I need that anyway to fly to USA!

I hope to have one last big trip to USA soon, and use both Amtrak and Greyhound to get around the country... Keeping my fingers crossed for getting there this time.

Ed

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I've ridden GLI a few times, although only Express trips. Sometimes during peak season they run two buses.

I've never seen "sold out" in the reservation system on non-express trips, nor have I seen yield management pricing beyond the fixed holiday/weekend premiums on any trips.

If you print your ticket online, ID verification is required. If you buy a ticket at the terminal (either in advance or day of) no ID is required on boarding.

I've seen Reno-San Francisco and Sacramento-Portland showing "SOLD OUT" so it does apply to all schedules. Of course during peak season they sometimes run dozens of coaches at the same time.

Yield-management is really kicking in this year, things are changing fast at Greyhound and it's hard to keep up unless you keep riding them again and again and again.

Even if you buy a ticket at the terminal, the driver may still ask for ID. That's what happened on my latest trip, anyway, he checked the ID one-by-one for all passengers. The passenger in front of me had Greyhound ticket stock so I know he bought at hte terminal, but he still had to show ID.

Transferring bags isn't a big problem for me because I don't take big bags often on Greyhound trips. If you have multiple big bags you can always ask for assistance.

There's really no difference between an official "Express" and the other schedules because buses aren't divided by them. For example, I've seen plenty of D4505's on Denver-Reno and I've seen junk G4500's on San Francisco-Los Angeles "Expresses". Not anymore because Greyhound bought more D4505's to replace the G4500's.

Hey Ed, if you're riding Greyhound, I can help you with scenic routes, good schedules, overnight stopovers, and of course, equipment.

 

[caravanman]

Hi,
I am still looking at options for my next trip to America, and I expect it to include Greyhound and Amtrak portions.
I appreciate your offer of advice, so if you can advise me on:

Especialy scenic bus routes, anywhere in America.
Routes which are a bit less touristy but show small town USA.

Good places to break a longer journey overnight, I want to travel in daylight where possible and sleep in cheaper motels which are near the bus stations.

I know it is your area of expertise, but the actual bus itself is not too important, it is the journey, the companions, the different sights, smells and sounds that I look forward to!

If you prefer to message me that is fine, although your information might well be of good use on here for other readers to use too.

Cheers,

Ed.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Caravanman this may be an odd question but I was wondering why you keep coming back to the US over and over again? I'm just curious what could be that big of a draw for you. I've traveled all over the US and enjoyed my time but if I were coming from the UK and looking for easy and affordable travel in a foreign country I'm not sure the US would be anywhere near the top of my list. It would seem you've visited enough times to have seen most of the Amtrak network by now. There are other countries I return to from time to time but not on the level of your trips to the US.

 

[caravanman]

Hi DA,

Not an odd question at all!

My son, now aged 20, has a serious peanut allergy, and we started coming to America because it was a place that we felt fairly confident about the language, and had fun things for my son to do, Disney and such.

I have enjoyed travel to many places, but struggle with languages... I can get by quite well anyway, but I like to find out about local stuff and because I can't read the papers or converse easily with locals I miss out on a lot. I don't see my trips as "vacations" in the regular "time out" way, more as part of the flow of everyday life.

I have visited Australia, Malaysia, Morocco, Canada, India, Thailand, Burma, Singapore, as well as many places nearer to home, Greece, Germany, France, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, etc.

I guess that while the USA is now quite familiar to me, it still has a freshness about it, and the huge size makes for scenic grandure. I loved driving along route 50 through the wide open spaces with hardly another vehicle in sight.

At bottom, it is an easy option... far away enough to be a mini adventure, easy because of the language, and resonably good value, the way I do it.

If I did not have to have vaccinations and pay £100 for a visa each time, I would probably visit India more often than I do America!

Ed

 

[SarahZ]

Was it hard to get used to sitting on the left and driving on the right? My friend moved to Scotland several years ago, and it took her a little while to adjust. She also had to remember to look right, then left, then right again (instead of the opposite way around) when crossing the street.

 

[caravanman]

Hi Sarah,

Driving in America was not too much of a problem, the hardest part for me is arriving at a crossroads... always feel a little unsure. Roundabouts seem so much easier, even in France where they go around the opposite way! My first experience of driving was hiring a car at LAX airport and driving out onto a massive freeway... I just crawled along in the slow lane 'till I could turn right. Turning right on a red signal was something of a surprise too.

I have been fined for speeding by a usa sherrif, and my driving over there is quite relaxed... loved doing 100 MPH in an open top mustang!

Ed

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I'm not sure where you've been already and where you still want to go. I'm pretty sure you get a visa waiver to Canada so you try some of their routes as well. US Route 50 is my favourite road too.

Here's a map of all intercity coach service in the US: http://www.aibra.org/pdf/usmap.pdf

Greyhound Lines System Timetable (USA): http://extranet.greyhound.com/Revsup/schedules2/pageset.html

Greyhound Lines System Timetable (Canada): http://extranet.greyhound.com/Revsup/csked/pageset.html

Note that Greyhound's map is inaccurate. I was able to spot the follow changes: 174 discountinued north of Harrisburg, 248 discountinued, 340 discountinued, 350 discountinued (replaced by Trailways), 482 has been discountinued north of Kansas City (replaced by Jefferson), 469 discountinued, 509 discountinued east of Missoula (replaced by Jefferson), 554 discountinued east of Palmdale, 701 now has service gap from Osoyoos to Rock Creek, 705 discountinued east of Lethbridge, 712 discountinued, 723 discountinued north of High Level, 780 is now 481, 787 discountinued, 801 discountinued.

There are other discountinued routes that I didn't note on the map but just be careful. Remember, the System Timetable is always accurate as long as it has a schedule and time listed. If there's no schedule, then the route or segment has been discountinued. If a discounted routes has no replacement noted, then it probably doesn't have any service anymore.

All information is the latest and most accurate available.

Very few Greyhound routes are only served by overnight service. You can pretty much ride Greyhound anywhere in daylight as long as you are willing to pay for hotels.

 

[caravanman]

Thanks for that info... I guess that in the past I have taken most Amtrak trains from end to end, so now looking to fill in large chunks of USA not yet explored!

The bit from Washington DC down to Florida is unexplored, I have visited New Orleans but nowhere else in the south. The Santa Fe area is said to be interesting from an art perspective, and the area between Denver and Portland/Seattle is unknown to me, being without Amtrak service cross country.

If there are well known great scenic bus routes I would be pleased to consider them, otherwise I can just play about with schedules and maps. I kind of want to see small town America, guess small town Mississipi is different from small town Oregon... Which is why I keep coming back, in part...

Ed.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I don't think you've taken a long Greyhound trip before. I think you would be interested in those little rest stops where the coach pulls off the road, pax get off for burgers and potato wedges, then everyone gets back on and keeps on rolling.

So I guess you want some routes that go through small towns and aren't close to an Amtrak route. Some of these routes have split timetables, which means their route has one part on one table and another part on a different table. Here's some:

Denver-Las Vegas (555) has great scenery but it's very similar to the Califorlia Zephyr. Mountains, canyons, and deserts. Connections at Las Vegas to Los Angeles and San Diego. If you want to ride this, stay overnight at Green River. If you're saturated with the California Zephyr, then ride something else.

Denver-Portland (split 380 & 500), that one doesn't really have a good place to overnight. Ride 1343 westbound or 1318 eatbound. Denver-Salt Lake City has a lot of wide open plains, sleep Salt Lake City-Boise, then you get a mix of farmlands and mountains, including famous Deadman Pass, before running along the Columbia River into Portland.

Saint Louis-Phoenix (470) goes along Old US Route 66 for a large part and is packed with a good variaty of scenery. Thick forests in Missouri, farmlands in Oklahoma, ranches in Texas, and different deserts in New Mexico and Arizona. No particular scenic highlights but nothing to be missed either, though it can get boring at times. There's a branch to/from Memphis as well.

Dallas-Los Angeles (split 480 & 580) lets you see loads and loads of wide-open deserts, differnet variaties of deserts though. Somewhat similar to the Sunset Limited. It's a little taste of Mexico, lots of Mexicans ride this route and expect more Mexican cuisine at the cities along the way.

Atlanta-Cincinnati (426), lots of forests and rolling hills, quite similar to an English Motorway. It's not spectacular but it's probably the most scenic in the region. You said you're interested in the southeast, well if you can fit this into your itinerary, then do it!

Just to clarify about the maps, the AIBRA map is very accurate but Greyhound's own map is outdated. A lot of the routes on the AIBRA map are not Greyhound routes, though. Want more scenic routes? There's a lot more! And I'm sure others have their own favourites to provide!

 

[caravanman]

Thanks for those suggestions, just the thing I am looking for!

Ed

 

[Bob Dylan]

Great Plan Eddie! You probably already know to consider MegaBus and BoltBus (owned by Greyhound) since Fares can run from $1-$25 for Modern, Non-Stop Service with WiFI! (I'd skip the Chinatown Busses in the NE)! I suggest looking into Traveling through the Mississipppi Delta, the Mountains of the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia if you want to see Rural Life in the States the way it used to be! (No Trains to most of these Places!!) Also if you haven't been to Key West, it's definitely worth a trip from Miami! Upstate New York and New England are pretty nice also, you can combine Trains and Buses to visit most of these Places since the NE is more developed! Id say skip the Bus Rides across the Plains and Western Deserts, nothing to see but Miles and Miles of Miles! The Parks like Yelllowstone, Yosemite, Glacier etc. etc. are also great places to see and refresh before traveling on! Nothing wrong with Niagara Falls either if you haven't seen them!

Also consider taking the Canadian to Jasper from Vancouver and spend some time in the Beautiful Canadian Rockies, just don't go during the Summer when there are Millions of Tourists and, unless you are a Skier, Id skip the Winter also! ^_^ (Fall is a Great time to visit!)

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Oh, I forgot about Sacramento-Portland (600), Greyhound takes a different route from Amtrak and there's a schedule each way that runs entirely by day. I hear from other bus enthusiasts that it's a great ride with varied scenery so I'm planning to ride it myself.

Also, Orlando-Houston (check for schedules) is good for seeing the Southeast after the Sunset Limited East got "suspended", actually discountinued. Wet forests, swamps, and some farmland. Take 1247 if you don't want to take a rest stop. No overnight needed but you could take a rest at Panama City, Pensacola, or Mobile.

For the mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee, Raleigh-Knoxville (424/427) is good, other options include Detroit-Jacksonville (215/401) and Richmond-Dallas (144/478).

Want some good Northeast scenery? New York-Buffalo/Toronto (170) good if you take the Local that goes through Scranton and Geneva, New York-Montreal (152) good for Adirondacks but very similar to Amtrak. New York-Saint Louis-Denver (202/380) goes through lots of farmlands in the eastern section and wide-open plains in the western section, with plenty of rolling hills peppered in between.

Lastly, Dallas-Denver (467) goes through farms, ranches, and deserts.

I'm planning a similar Greyhound tour on a smaller scale, I'm looking scenic routes in Canada and I hear Kelowna-Calgary via Crowsnest Highway (701C/D) is superb, I'm considering staying overnight in Cranbrook then continuing to Calgary next morning on 711B which runs right through two Canadian national parks. No rail service close by.

Greyhound routes in the West aren't bad if you like wide-open spaces, and some of them have quite a bit of mountains too. As I said, I tried not to name routes that closely parallel Amtrak.

Gotta say, Greyhound's split schedules are really annoying.

By the way, avoid Greyhound runs in the "7000" and "9000" series due to unbearably bad buses. Most are in the Southwest. And really no reason to ride BoltBus or Megabus, as of January 2014 Greyhound coaches are just as comfortable and Greyhound has real stations. On average, Greyhound buys a new bus every two days and totally rebuilds an old bus every day.

However, BoltBus is a good option in the Northwest because Greyhound has yet to rebuild their Seattle-based coaches.

 

[caravanman]

Thanks again for all information. I do consider all modes of transport on my trips, even hired a push bike in India!

Lots of good suggestions in all the above posts, I am looking forward to puttting together "The Big Ride" !

Ed

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Thanks again for all information. I do consider all modes of transport on my trips, even hired a push bike in India!

Lots of good suggestions in all the above posts, I am looking forward to puttting together "The Big Ride" !

Ed

I know you're adventurous but you still shouldn't ride a Seattle-based Greyhound or a "7000" or "9000" series run because they are just not fun at all. The equipment that I'm talking about smells really bad inside but the windows don't open and the AC often malfunctions. Riding such equipment for a long time could get you ill and vomiting. I heard someone rode a G4500 back when Sacramento-Portland wasn't upgraded and threw up over the restroom, but the restroom on this model does not flush, so the whole bus got even more stinky.

 

[caravanman]

You paint a graphic picture! I will certainly take your comments into consideration when I draw up my plans...

One tip can be to try and get a seat in the center of the bus, it seems less prone to extremes of jolts from the wheels.

Some years back I was in Manali, North India, and the weather was very cold. In the bus station they lit small fires under the buses to keep the diesel flowing... but one bus caught fire! Great excitement! I think I will manage ok on American buses...

Thanks again,

Ed

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Caught on fire? Well, look at this G4500 slideshow: http://amarillo.com/slideshow/greyhound-bus-fire#slide-1. They had to send an older coach to rescue it after the Gina destroyed itself.

When you have a stinking bus with closed windows, malfunctioning AC, axles falling off at 70 mph, restrooms leaking, people vomiting, hatches falling off, drivers resigning from Seattle (G4500 homeland), and engines burning to a hulk, even a Greyhound enthusiast would ask you to avoid this bus model. BTW, it is not an "American" bus.

For some reason the D coaches don't ever smell as bad as a G4500. I know you don't want to talk about coach models, but for your safety, I feel the need to raise this issue.

At least the G4500 fits "minimal" safety standards.....

 

[caravanman]

Still, if I did survive all of that, it would make for one heck of a trip report!

Please don't worry, I have taken note of your kind advice.

Ed

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Ah, I was just afraid you would come off whining about Greyhound after taking a G4500, like many others do. The axles probably won't fall off anymore, Greyhound mechanics found a way to keep them from falling off but I'm not sure how. They still don't know how to stop the fires.

Of course, these buggers are getting rebuilt as fast as possible, the new engine and electrical wiring should help against the fires, plus new axles and AC of course.

So if you're healthy and not afraid of a smelly coach getting people ill, might actually be interesting to jump for a Gina and listen closely to the engine in case it starts sounding weird then catching on fire.

Heck, I've ridden 8 of these, 3 were horrible, 4 were OK, and 1 was actually good. If you want the rickety machine, they run 502, 509, & 601, with a good chance on 600.

Hmm, now I'm actually interested in another rickety ride before they all get rebuilt.....but no "7000" and "9000" skeds since they're even worse than a Gina. :giggle:

 

[George]

A couple of commnets:

It had been quite a few years since I have ridden Greyhound, but here are a couple of things:

The last time I rode was Nashville to Memphis on a supposed local. I looked at the schedule adn it seemed impossibly fast. I found out why. It no longer ran US70 through the named towns. Instead it ran I-40 and stopped at a gas station / store at the interchange for the town. For anyone not familiar with the area: I-40 does not run anywhere close to US 70 which was the pre-Interstate highway between Nashville and Memphis, but in a more direct line that is not even close to any of the small towns between them, as ateh towns are located on the pre-Interstate highways. Don't know how true this is elsewhere, but I suspect that it probably is, except that for most interstate highway routes the Itherstate tends to be fairly close to the pre existing highway.

Even in larger cities stations may not be in the center of the town or anywhere close. One example I know: Pensacola, florida the greryhound station is in a small building near the I-10 - US 29 interchange, which places it about 5 miles from downtown. There is nothing adjacent to or close to it in the way of stores or food..

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

A couple of commnets:

It had been quite a few years since I have ridden Greyhound, but here are a couple of things:

The last time I rode was Nashville to Memphis on a supposed local. I looked at the schedule adn it seemed impossibly fast. I found out why. It no longer ran US70 through the named towns. Instead it ran I-40 and stopped at a gas station / store at the interchange for the town. For anyone not familiar with the area: I-40 does not run anywhere close to US 70 which was the pre-Interstate highway between Nashville and Memphis, but in a more direct line that is not even close to any of the small towns between them, as ateh towns are located on the pre-Interstate highways. Don't know how true this is elsewhere, but I suspect that it probably is, except that for most interstate highway routes the Itherstate tends to be fairly close to the pre existing highway.

Even in larger cities stations may not be in the center of the town or anywhere close. One example I know: Pensacola, florida the greryhound station is in a small building near the I-10 - US 29 interchange, which places it about 5 miles from downtown. There is nothing adjacent to or close to it in the way of stores or food..

I know US Route 70 over there goes quite a ways north of Interstate-40, the Greyhounds always take the Interstate whenever possible, they make a stop at Jackson, TN, which actually has a very famous old Greyhound station.

So many of Greyhound's "locals" run a lot like Expresses and Limiteds, they use the exact same equipment and drive at roughly the same speeds.

That's why for the Orlando-Houston segment, I suggested 1247 instead of 1243. 1243 is a Limited while 1247 has no special designation, but 1247 runs just as fast and has better times for viewing scenery.

 

[railiner]

I am one that is sad to see the examples of Greyhound locating newer terminals outside of downtown business centers. These are usually placed more for the convenience of thru schedule's quick access to interstate highway's, than for passenger convenience.

That said, it is probably done as a good business decision....real estate is probably lower in cost, and most passenger's are driven to the depot by friend's and family, rather than walking from downtown hotels or using public transportation as in the 'golden year's of bus travel and so-called "commercial traveler's", that dictated the location of classic Greyhound terminal's.

Jackson, Mississippi also has a nice example of a preserved old classic Greyhound terminal now owned by a private business (I believe a law firm)....