# Greyhound question(s)



## pianocat (Nov 5, 2013)

I haven't ridden a Greyhound bus since the 70's, and then only for a 2 hour trip which I quite enjoyed. A few days before Christmas, I'm reserved on Greyhound service from Evansville, IN to St. Louis [the afternoon route] and then back again on New Year's Eve. Any idea what I can expect as far as comfort from the type bus used on this route [i have no idea what model is used compared to 1975]. There's one rest stop 1/2 way there, in Mt. Vernon IL so I can get out and walk around, which is nice. Also, I've read at the Greyhound website that if you pay $5 at the ticket office you can have 'priority boarding'. What does this mean, and what is considered the best place to sit on the bus, front or back? I really want a window seat so will pay the priority fee. Is there any odor from the restroom if i sit towards the back? And one more question....... Getting myself to St. Louis on this Greyhound is absolutely essential, else I won't be able to connect to Amtrak Missouri River Runner and then Southwest Chief to California. Basically, I'll have to cancel the whole trip if i can't get to STL. I know that Amtrak travels through weather that often shuts down airports and even roads, but what are the stats on Greyhound running even if the weather gets dicey, ie....snow! Are they quick to cancel routes? The EVV/STL route is all Interstate 64, btw. Thanks for any info. anyone might have for me.


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## pennyk (Nov 5, 2013)

I cannot answer your requests, but we have an AU member, who proclaims to be a Greyhound expert. Hopefully, he will respond quickly.


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## MrFSS (Nov 5, 2013)

pianocat said:


> I haven't ridden a Greyhound bus since the 70's, and then only for a 2 hour trip which I quite enjoyed.


I have you beat - last Greyhound I rode was in 1965, this one.


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## lthanlon (Nov 5, 2013)

What a great picture!


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## jebr (Nov 5, 2013)

While I don't know about your specific route, it's likely you'll get one of the newer buses, especially if you have an "express" schedule. They're decently comfortable, but not luxurious levels of comfortable. Worth the price, though.

Speaking of which, don't buy the advance boarding if you have an express schedule. They're supposed to board based on the boarding number on the ticket. If you have a non-express schedule, then it makes sense to buy the advance boarding, as that allows you to hop the line (otherwise it's first come, first served on non-express routes.) This is also helpful if the route is oversold, as Greyhound will not guarantee a seat on a non-express route, so if the bus is full and they don't have an extra, you may be bumped to the next schedule without compensation. (They may also put you on an extra bus, which is a crapshoot but almost always less nice than the standard bus.)

Here's a video of the new buses (promo video, so obviously as sparkling clean as possible, but you get the idea):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq5aBpHX07g

As for cancelling routes, they'll cancel more frequently than Amtrak. If it's a bad winter storm and they're not advising travel, Greyhound will likely cancel the route until travel advisories are lifted. I've also had one time (out of 10 or so) where the bus was cancelled because the driver didn't show and they couldn't get a replacement (this was for a 1 AM route, so most of the other drivers were likely resting so they can safely travel the next day!) Unfortunately, all the ticket counter offered was to use the ticket for future travel...it took persisting online before they would refund the fare (which I thought should be standard if a route is cancelled for something within Greyhound's control.)

Seat choice...depends. If you want a good window view, sit near the front. Usually the bathroom doesn't give out odor, but it can, and the front will be least exposed to that smell.


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## pianocat (Nov 5, 2013)

Thanks for the information. The new buses look wonderful! Did i see that it carries wifi??? The route i'm taking is considered an express because the one stop between Eville and STL is a meal break/stop. That photo from 1965 doesn't look a lot different from the 1975 version, though I'm sure it was much updated both inside and out. Looks like it'll be a comfy trip. Fingers crossed for no major winter storm that day.


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## jebr (Nov 5, 2013)

pianocat said:


> Thanks for the information. The new buses look wonderful! Did i see that it carries wifi???


The new buses are quite nice. They do have wi-fi, though the reliability can be hit-or-miss. I wouldn't count on the wifi being usable, in my experience. It's a nice bonus when it works, though.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Nov 6, 2013)

Hey, finally there's someone that want to ride a Greyhound! Yeah, Penny sent me a PM so I assume I'm supposed to be the "Greyhound expert". Cool, I'll be glad to help.

I'll just tell you first off, NEVER buy Priority Boarding, it's USELESS! I've never bought it and I can still find a good window seat when I board. Don't waste your $5, you'll regret it!

Here's a quck overview from the Timetable. The bus you're riding is probably Schedule 4702, which runs from Atlanta to Saint Louis. It departs Evansville at 1:25 PM and gets to Saint Louis at 5:20 PM. The bus actually originates from Atlanta that morning at 5:10 AM, so it'll already have lots of passengers from the previous stops. Here's the link to your timetable: http://extranet.greyhound.com/revsup/schedules/pdf/280.pdf, see Page 2.

Note that the schedule says "St. Louis" but the drivers always display "Saint Louis".

The good seats all depend on the bus. The Atlanta-Saint Louis route is probably going to be a 102DL3 or D4505. They're basically the same bus except the D4505 is the newer version, though the 102DL3 has a bit more comfortable seats. In this type of bus, the restrooms are sealed tightly, so they almost never leak odors. There's an extra legroom seat right behind the wheelchair lift, very good for overnights. The best view is from the first and second rows on the right side, but those seats have reduced legroom. If you sit in those rows but on the left side, you can still get a good view through the driver's compartment but you get the regular legroom.

You might also get a X3-45 but I don't think it's likely. These buses have curved side windows, which I always felt awkward with. They were originaly confined to the Northeast garages, but they're been seen in Miami, Atlanta, and Dallas Garages so you might get one.

All these bus types have very high-backed seats with wide headrests, they are much larger than the ones on charter buses.

If you're _really _unlucky, you could get a hated G4500, these buses are terrible! Their restrooms often leak, their front air-con vent always blows out disgusting smells, their engines always break down, their electrical systems catch on fire, etc. Thankfully, they are getting totally gutted and rebuilt to fix their problems. The last stronghold of the G4500 is far away from you in Seattle Garage, so don't worry about it.

You don't really need to worry about delays, the route from Atlanta along Interstate 24 is usually free of snow. There might be a light dusting of white in Tennessee but nothing major. Don't worry about the weather unless a blizzard hits. I've never lived in your area, you'll have to decide for yourself, if you're not safe with driving, then Greyhound won't do it either.

Now, the last problem, the dreaded Greyhound overbooking. You're travelling in Christmas high-season and the bus is coming all the way from Atlanta. But Evansville is major enough that some passengers are bound to be getting off at the station. So just get to the station early and be the first onto the bus. You don't need Priority Boarding because almost nobody uses it anyway. Get on the bus and grab the best seat you can see.

I don't know this route well enough to estimate the loads on it. If loads are low, then great, you'll easily get a seat. If loads are very high, then Greyhound would be happy to dispatch an extra section from their massive Atlanta Garage, so you'll easily find a seat.

If this was Atlanta-Miami, that route is so popular in winter that Greyhound would always prepare an extra section. But Atlanta-Saint Louis?

You have to ask yourself, "Are many people going to want to ride Atlanta-Saint Louis over Chistmas?" Decide for yourself, I'm not sure.

A note about window seats, on most Greyhound buses, the air-con vent is along the bottom of the passenger windows. If you take a window seat and fall asleep with your head hanging over the vent, you're gonna get a bad cold when you wake up!

I know there's been some Greyhound crashes recently, but they all happened at night in the dark. Schedule 4702 is run entirely by day, so there should be no safety issues.

Here's some pictures to identify buses, courtesy of Chicago bus fan Melvin Bernero:

102DL3:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7993883988

D4505:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbernero/6894749833/in/photostream/

G4500:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbernero/5456982809/

X3-45:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/6894745725

And here's an 102DL3 in the old EE config, these are almost extinct because they have been extensively rebuilt to the new standards:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/6893596697

If you want to know anything else, feel free to ask! I might respond very quickly if I'm busy but I'll get there eventually.  Go Greyhound!

Edit: fixed mistake.


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## railiner (Nov 6, 2013)

MrFSS said:


> pianocat said:
> 
> 
> > I haven't ridden a Greyhound bus since the 70's, and then only for a 2 hour trip which I quite enjoyed.
> ...


That's a very nice shot of a General Motors PD-4104, built between the years, 1953 thru 1959. The paint scheme was one from pre-1964, when all GL's received the new '50th Anniversary' gold Scotchlite reflective stripes.....


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## railiner (Nov 6, 2013)

To add to Swadian's expert commentary regarding choosing a seat....I personally like to sit around the center of the coach...safer in the event of an accident, a balance between the wind noise at highway speed up front, and the sound of the engine in the rear, and generally a smoother ride with less pitching, and yawing motion (same as riding the train).

I like to board a bus after it is about halfway full. In this way, I may be able to select who I wish to sit beside, rather than take a chance on who may sit beside me. (I look for the smallest adult person, so as to have as much room as possible.) Also try to put space between myself and any babies that may be travelling...


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## Swadian Hardcore (Nov 6, 2013)

railiner said:


> MrFSS said:
> 
> 
> > pianocat said:
> ...


Isn't that the famous type of bus that took the Freedom Riders before a mob burned it near Anniston, Alabama? Trautman got real mad with those gold stripes, he sure didn't like UC Berkeley!



railiner said:


> To add to Swadian's expert commentary regarding choosing a seat....I personally like to sit around the center of the coach...safer in the event of an accident, a balance between the wind noise at highway speed up front, and the sound of the engine in the rear, and generally a smoother ride with less pitching, and yawing motion (same as riding the train).
> 
> I like to board a bus after it is about halfway full. In this way, I may be able to select who I wish to sit beside, rather than take a chance on who may sit beside me. (I look for the smallest adult person, so as to have as much room as possible.) Also try to put space between myself and any babies that may be travelling...


You might know this a bit better, how's the loads around Christmas for buses not going to Florida?


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## railiner (Nov 6, 2013)

Christmas travel is very heavy, everywhere. "There's No Place Like Home, For The Holiday's"..............


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## pianocat (Nov 6, 2013)

WOW! This is some exceptional information I'm getting here, and I thank you all - particularly Swadian! Your suggestion that I not buy the Priority Boarding is noted, but if during the holiday season especially, these buses are overbooked - wouldn't it make sense if I buy that just in case the Evv-STL route is one of those 'overbooked' legs? It'd guarantee me one of the few seats in a situation where,say there are10 seats available, 15 of us waiting....and 2 with priority boarding pass - without getting bumped? Understandably, I have to be there at least an hour ahead of departure, no problem. I had no idea the bus comes from Atlanta, and I see it will arrive in Evv for a 15 min. layover before departing for STL. You don't know of a website that might describe the Evansville terminal? They aren't open at the moment, aren't answering their phone. I live in a rural area about 20 miles from the terminal, so am not familiar with the layout. Surely the ticket office will be open an hour ahead of a scheduled departure?? And I'm hoping I won't have to wait outside, mid-Dec., if it's not open! They say knowledge is power... I'm getting "stronger", and I thank you all.


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## caravanman (Nov 6, 2013)

Hi,

I don't think I can add much info, but I have taken the Greyhound from Toronto to Buffalo, from New York to Washington, Reno to Sacramento, as well as the Greyhound/ Amtrak bus from Vegas to LA. My advice *would* be to buy priority boarding if you can. I agree that the middle of the bus tends to be the most comfortable, think of a see-saw with the middle not moving... The toilet facilities are rather basic, take a small flashlight if you need to use them, there are no windows and the light was not working on one bus.

I found my bus trips to be very enjoyable, nice for a tourist to see America from the roads as well as the trains!

I had to buy my tickets at the greyhound stations, rather slow service, if you can buy and print at home that would be better. You could try phoning the greyhound station a few days before your trip at about the time you expect to arrive, that will give you some clue as to waiting room facilities.

Cheers,

Ed


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## Swadian Hardcore (Nov 6, 2013)

Sorry, I made a mistake! I said that the coach departs Atlanta at 10:00 AM, it actually departs Atlanta at 5:10 AM, I looked at the schedule and got confused because the top entry is at 10:00 AM for Nashville. I've fixed it now.

As far as Priority Boarding goes, I still don't think it's worth it. I did a mock booking and I don't even see the option for Priority Booking, so I don't know how you plan to use it. I don't know, decide for yourself, I still say NO.

I'm totally unfamiliar with the Evansville terminal, I did ride to Saint Louis round-trip when I lived in Birmingham but I can't remember if I went throguh Paducah or Evansville. From Google Street View, it looks like the station is an intermodel transit center, wide and open with a small building at one end with a ticket office.

You should buy your tickets as soon as possible, Greyhound new yield-management system will hike the fares when lots of people book. Always book online and use Will Call. Don't use Print at Home because the driver will ask you for ID when you board and the whole line gets clogged up. Do not ever buy tickets at the station right before departure, you will overpay by 2-3 times!

The restrooms (lavatories) usually have a functioning light and they do flush unless you get a falling-apart G4500, which is just so much worse than every other bus. Towards the end of their lives, the MC-12s were pretty run-down too, but they are retired now.


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