Greyhound seats and fleet questions

[Swadian Hardcore]

No problem. I have trouble with smartphones too, so I don't own/use one. A lot of people on the highways go over the speed limit because everyone else is speeding. Sometimes it's the safer thing to do rather than slow down and crash. But it's also illegal. Personally, I think it depends on the situation. I don't think anyone should go 10 mph or more over the speed limit. Some people go 85 mph on I-80 in Nevada; I think that is unacceptable.

It probably is cheaper to wait till the bus gets to home base. I don't think Greyhound Denver had X3-45 parts anyway. HVAC is hard to fix and requires specialized experts. What Greyhound did wrong is that the X3-45 had been reported with problems in Philadelphia, but they were not fixed and the bus went all the way to Reno, even though Philadelphia was its home base.

I'm still trying to find out if the White G has those amenities and if they are still running line-haul. Wouldn't Greyhound also get sued if one of their charter-only buses didn't have Wi-Fi? The White G on paper is awesome. That's why Greyhound bought so many. Not so great in reality.

I think a lot of people think line-haul buses are all Greyhounds due to interlining. Some people wrongfully think Greyhound is a bus manufacturer or bus model rather than a bus company. Other people think Greyhound is a government agency. Others think they are a huge corporation with a monopoly on all things bus-related. Obviously all these are myths, but there you go. Someone on Facebook claimed she was stranded in Casper, Wyoming, by Greyhound. But Greyhound doesn't even go to Casper. Another person thought Megabus and BoltBus were both owned by Greyhound; Megabus certainly isn't.

Then there's the famous 2013 case when passengers in Des Moines complained about being left in the cold by Greyhound. The case gained much publicity and there was a huge petition. But Greyhound doesn't go to Des Moines and their last bus had left in 2012. It was Jefferson who had messed up.

As for wheelbase, the X3-45 turns the best in Greyhound's fleet, even with a 334.5" wheelbase. So that could be why they're used in the East. The G's have the longest wheelbase, 336", and the 102DL3, D4500, and D4505 all have 318". The West is saturated with D4505s, some of which are turning into junk as bad as the White G.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Your right, by law you must be able to keep up with traffic even if they are going over the limit. A lot of people dint know thus but you can get a ticket for impeding traffic going the speed limit when traffic is going over. I've gotten a warning about it down in Atlanta, GA when I drove for J.B. Hunt.

I get people sometimes that are on a layover between buses here that will go to our mall or Wal-Mart to waste time ask me if I go to the greyhound terminal when the want to go back. I usually tell them we don't have a greyhound terminal here. You would fall over in laughter if you saw their reaction.

It may be cheaper to do it at home base but it's not always the best idea, especially when it's safety or passenger comfort. Its better to fix it where it is then take chances down the road because who knows how long it'll take to cycle back thru. Drivers are part to blame too, especially when they know if they write it up they may be given a bus they don't like driving. So they wait to say anything till either they get stuck broke down somewhere or they get to the end of their route. Sounds like there are some maintenance workers that either are lazy or being forced to let buses slide with our repairs.

Its hard to say if they would get sued for them on charters without the WiFi etc. Last I hears they were running some 102DL3's that never got an upgrade as charters. Besides, not many places know greyhound does charters.

Sounds and looks like mci isn't like it used to be. The newer D models I've seen look like they are falling apart. I got to look at a brand new J model down in Hershey on Saturday. It looked very cheaply built compared to the Volvo that prevost had sitting there. Even the brand new vanhool that abc had looked better made.

If it wasn't that I do drive the longest bus we have I wouldn't believe that sometimes a longer wheel base could turn better. Cause its nod the case with trucks.

 

[railiner]

Speaking of 'G's. saw two blue and two white ones in Hoboken this morning. The white one's had 'Denver' and 'Indianapolis' on their respective destination sign's. Don't know if they were going on those runs later, or someone was just 'playing' with the signs....

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I've seen Greyhound using white DL3s for charters out of Las Vegas. They did refurbish some charter-only DL3s with no wheelchair lifts. Those are painted blue and should have all the new amenities.

Kit, the driver, told me that the X3-45 logbook had a driver entry from Philadelphia reporting HVAC trouble. IIRC, that was the Philly-NYC driver. Then the bus got dispatched to Denver, and then to Reno, without repairs to the HVAC. Must be that someone at GLI ignored the driver reports or didn't think the HVAC mattered.

MCI is owned by investment banking now. The 102DL3 was the last new design released under GLC ownership. Then GLC sold MCI to Dina, who went bankrupt and sold MCI to some company called KPS. The new MCIs are all glued and clipped together. That being said, the X3-45 is also glued together, which may explain the roof leak that happened.

Van Hools seem to be great when they're new but terrible when they age. They age even faster than the new MCIs. Prevost H3-45s are probably the most physically durable because they have special embedded bolts. They also have the longest production run, 1994-present; 21 years and still going strong.

The X3-45 turns well due to IFS. Costs a bit more to maintain but rides better and turns better.

 

[railiner]

I would clarify your statement...GLC is the common abbreviation for Greyhound Lines of Canada, aka Greyhound Canada Transportation Corporation

It was a subsidiary of the former Greyhound Corporation, as was Greyhound Lines, Inc. (GLI). And so was MCI, Armour-Dial, and several other subsidiaries including TMC or Transportation Manufacturing Corporation--an MCI spin-off. The Greyhound Corporation sold off GLI in 1986. To avoid confusion, the Corporation changed its name to the Dial Corporation. Later on, Dial sold GLC to Laidlaw (who later acquired GLI, reuniting the two Greyhound properties to common ownership. Later, First Group acquired Laidlaw. And Dial sold off MCI, as you stated.

IMHO, MCI began its decline from its premier position at the time it was no longer under the influence of the GLI engineering staff in 1986. When that happened, instead of building the coach for maximum durability, it was built to shave costs and increase profitability....

 

[mightyjoe1201]

That's sad that mci went down hill like that because they were always the most reliable coach from what I've heard a lot of ppl in the industry talk.

Isn't first group primarily school buses tho? If I'm right about that, maybe that's why the quality of the coaches suck anymore.

I guess every big name had its heyday. GM started going downhill before they stoped making coaches and look how long they were the predominant bus maker

 

[railiner]

In its heyday, General Motor's dominated the North American coach business and built the world's finest coaches. Nobody else even came close. Little by little, rival coach builder's 'threw in the towel' until there was just a few left, with a miniscule market share. At that time, the US government stepped in with antitrust actions, and forced GM to allow rival manufacturer's to purchase certain GM patented component's to install in their coaches. They also intervened in the "sweetheart deal" GM and Greyhound formed, and forced Greyhound to purchase from other manufacturer's, and also, no longer have priority on new GM models. That was why and how MCI, at the time, a very small manufacturer owned by GLC suddenly was awarded the contract eventually replace entirely Greyhound's fleet.

"What's good enough for Greyhound, is good enough for us", seemed to be the attitude of GL affiliates, and other independent bus companies, that jumped on the MCI bandwagon, and abandoned GM. GM was fully capable of fighting back for that business, but they chose not to, account of the government action against them, and did not really care that they were getting out of that business....

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Wow I didn't know that about GM and greyhound. I never really got to ride to many of GM 's buses because by the time I was old enough to know anything, most co were phasing out their gm fleets. Maybe some day mci will regain its former glory but I doubt it.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Im planning a trip hopefully end of August. Unfortunately I can't take greyhound unless they can make the schedules faster. I'm going down to Oklahoma for a week but with buses or trains I would only get one day there

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I do believe GLC continued to have input into MCI's designs after GLI had been sold off. GLC does demand a lot out of its coaches and the 102C3s lasted a long time. Undoubtedly, MCI was beginning to slide after GLI was sold off, but the big dives came after the sale to Dina and then again after the financial problems in 2005.

2005 was the year when the D4500 lost its rivets, which were replaced with glue in the then-new D4500CL, D4500CT, and D4505.

I guess it'd be something like this:

1987 - MCI starts to slide.

1995 - MCI stops designing durable buses.

2005 - MCI stops making durable buses.

2012 - MCI is surpassed by Prevost in the private sector.

 

[railiner]

Greyhound did have influence when it was still purchasing large-scale. And MCI did build the MC-12 mainly at Greyhounds request.... later on, Greyhound represented a smaller and smaller total portion of MCI's business,....

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Perhaps a portion of MCI's problems were caused by Greyhound's ineptitude. Their bankruptcy and strikes resulted in less and less coaches being ordered. MCI turned to NJT as the big new customer, but NJT doesn't care about running 3 million miles per coach, nor do they want true intercity motorcoaches.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

If an agency Luke njt were to run 3 million miles I'd b shocked. There probably more interested in the coach lasting a set number of years without serious problems. Tho I'd expect them to want durable coaches given that they run nj and NYC all day long.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Is there an actually difference in the coaches that greyhound would order versus a charter and tour company outside of the required chair life for greyhound?

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Greyhound runs on the highway around the clock, so they will generally want more speed in addition to the extra durability for running 3 million miles. Charter operators run different routes and require more flexibility, so more maneuverability and more amenity options are the norm. Tour operators generally want a slow, high-deck bus with big windows.

The 102DL3 is a good example of a Greyhound. It's the most durable and still decently fast with a big air intake. Ride quality is good, too.

The J4500 is a good example of a charter bus. It's the flexible jack-of-all-trades. AFAIK, it's average at everything, so it can flex.

The H3-45 is certainly the most popular tour bus. It's got the highest deck and the largest size, but also slow and, depending on the engine, sometimes underpowered.

NJT wants durability by transit standards, so they keep ordering new D's, which are more durable than transits, but very inconsistent once they get high on miles.

 

[railiner]

Is there an actually difference in the coaches that greyhound would order versus a charter and tour company outside of the required chair life for greyhound?

Basically, Greyhound wants durability, and low operating cost. Charter and tour companies are looking for "frills" that will set themselves apart from competition, and attract customer's. One visible difference is things like Greyhound not ordering enclosure's for the parcel racks...

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Using Greyhound's new Bus Tracker, I observed something weird. The Reno-Denver is currently being run as two separate segments, splitting at Salt Lake City. Yesterday, a D4505 ran Denver-Salt Lake City, then Blue G #7273 ran to Reno.

Same thing happened the other way around. D4505 #86397 ran Reno-Salt Lake City, then turned back to Reno while another bus that hasn't been reported yet is currently running to Denver.

Reno-Denver was a through run last year.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

That's strange. If I remember my truck driving days right, it's less then 10 hours between the two cities, isn't it?

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Anyone know how to tell what kind of bus is on any given schedule based on the number? I can't find anything that gives me the numbering system. Thanks

 

[mightyjoe1201]

I asked cause a friend just txt me he's on bus #6403 headed into new York city. They near king of Prussia right now

 

[railiner]

6403 is a DL3, I believe...

You can scroll thru this listing also.... https://apps.txdmv.gov/apps/mccs/truckstop/MCCS_Frame_Insurance.asp

click on 'vehicles'.....

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Cool. Thanks. I asked him what kind of bus he was on and he just kept telling me greyhound and the bud number. And this coming from a guy who's been driving buses for over 30 years. Lol.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

#6000-6619 and #6900-6964 are the DL3s that were ordered by GLI. They got some more second-hand. But what's really confusing are the second-hand H3-45s and J4500s. Those are numbered in the 6600s and 6900s, respectively, and just have higher numbers than the DL3s.

Once you get the bus number, you can find it under Greyhound on Texas DMV and that gives you the VIN. Any VIN starting with "1M8P" is a DL3. Looks like #6403 is 1M8PDMRA3YP052779.

I caught a glimpse of good old #52672 yesterday on the Tracker. It was running Tallahassee-Cleveland.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Uh-oh. Looks like D4505 #86558 is in distress. The motorcoach is reportedly "running out of fluid". It is currently running Sked 1300 Portland-Denver and is entering Utah from Idaho.

Reportedly, the Portland-Boise driver told the next driver he was close to running out of DEF fluid. But Boise didn't have fluid so Greyhound ordered the bus to proceed to Salt Lake City and stop off at a store along the way to get fluid. That store was closed so the driver went to another store (also closed) and then to a Pilot Truck Stop that had no DEF fluid left. The bus doesn't have enough DEF fluid to make it to SLC and it's too late to turn back to Boise. So the driver is frantically driving around looking for DEF fluid before the bus dies.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

That's surprising that pilot didn't have any def fluid. A lot if the truck stops/travel centers have bulk tanks if it that you can purchase it at the fuel pumps. Hope he gets some before running out. Because if what I read about that system it'll shut the bus down pretty quick when it runs out