# Great American Bus Ride



## caravanman (Jan 4, 2014)

Hi,

I have just finished a great read by Irma Kurtz, about her rides across the states in 65 Greyhound buses.

Irma Kurtz is American, lived in the UK for many years, and a regular contributor to "Cosmopolitan" magazine.

The book is titled "The Great American Bus Ride" and was published in 1993 in the USA.

I found many similarities between Ms Kurtz experiences and my own on Amtrak.

Worth a look if you like travel writing.

Ed


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## Everydaymatters (Jan 4, 2014)

Ed, I read her book several years ago. It was interesting. I went from Chicago to Orlando many years on Greyhound and I can't say I'd want to do what she did.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Jan 4, 2014)

I never got to read that book. Seems interesting, I did ride Greyhound back then and the buses today are really a lot different, mainly because in 1993 Greyhound was trying to dig itself out of financial turmoil. They had a major strike in 1983, got sold off by Teets in 1987, took huge loans to buy Continental Trailways in the same year, drivers on an even bigger strike in 1990, went bankrupt, sold MCI, drivers bombed and shot up their own buses, fights were rampant, and Greyhound had just recovered in 1992 after incompetant Currey was replaced with Schmidt and then Lentzsch.

You can see matters were complicated back then and service suffered greatly. I've never done something like this, large amounts of bus riding back-to-back, but I do explore the nation slowly with Greyhound and their allies, bus by bus, day by day, taking ti slow. And it's still ongoing.

If anyone is interested, I'll make a photo travelogue about my short Greyhound rides over New Years, only 5 hours each way so not much but I do have a lot of pictures. They'll all be on Flickr when I get around to it.


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## caravanman (Jan 5, 2014)

Hi,

Thanks for the background info.

I believe most folk visiting USA for the first time and intending to explore by public transport still have an expectation of a wealth of train and Greyhound options. It certainly came as a shock to me just how sparse the few routes that remain on either service are today.

Although the book was published in 1993, I imagine she would have taken her actual trip at least a year or two earlier, she makes no mention of industrial disputes.

An easier trip to make today I guess, with Internet booking and cell phones for last minute updates.

Ed


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## Swadian Hardcore (Jan 5, 2014)

caravanman said:


> Hi,
> 
> Thanks for the background info.
> 
> ...


A year or two earlier? That would put it around 1991-1992. That would be around the height of Greyhound violence and the lowpoint in Greyhound history. I would be surprised if the author did not see any driver protests and fighting. I sure saw some picketingback then, but I didn't see fighting.

BTW, if anybody wants to take a long bus ride around the US, I'd be willing to help. But I don't suggest doing it in one go, I usually ride a couple of routes one year, another few the next year, use some other bus companies, and eventually you see the whole country, plus Canada. If you're coming from far away on a visit, then you could do it in one go.

Just my 2 cents.


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