Greyhound seats and fleet questions

[rickycourtney]

KNBC is reporting that a Greyhound bus crashed into a ditch near San Bernardino,CA after a passenger grabbed the steering wheel.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Bus-Crashes-Near-San-Bernardino-311650001.html

This type of crash seems to happen somewhat regularly on Greyhound buses. Not sure what can be done to stop someone from grabbing the wheel. The aisle gates are more of a psychological deterrent, since they can be easily defeated by someone who's determined.

I'd say it's time to give drivers a more secured compartment, but you still need to have proper emergency egress. On top of that, Greyhound isn't a big enough customer anymore to demand a total ground up redesign of a bus.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Looks like Schedule 1351 Chicago-Los Angeles. The bus is a blue G4500. Don't know what the number is, but appears to be #7264. Damage seems to be minor, expect bus to be repaired and returned to service. Greyhound has got to do something about this. Remember, last time this happened, it was also on I-10 between Los Angeles and Phoenix, except last time it was a Los Angeles-Dallas schedule.

It appears that the assailant kicked out the front windshield after the bus crashed and escaped. The windshields are designed to be kicked out at the edges in the event of an accident. A completely secure driver compartment wouldn't be unsafe as long as all the side windows can be opened in the event of an accident. Perhaps making a solid Plexiglas door at the front of the aisle would be the best solution.

Edit: Yeah, it is #7264. Schedule 1351 (7/2) is showing up as "Canceled between San Bernardino and Los Angeles." The map icon shows #7264 at the exact location where it was reportedly crashed.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Looks like the GPS on BusTracker is indeed highly accurate. You can see how #7264 veered off to the right of westbound I-10. Last updated at 2:52 PM.

Greyhound 7264 Attacked & Crashed.pdf

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

OK, this is not fair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs1H2guCq-E.

That's a Coach America bus and a Coach America driver. Yet Greyhound got flamed for it four years ago. I'm glad Coach America is gone now and Greyhound no longer interlines with their successors.

Here's another video showing a smelly passenger being kicked off a X3-45: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPyRKO-Ebok.

 

[rickycourtney]

The passengers in those videos are why many people will never even consider riding Greyhound.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I don't even know what started up that fight. Looks like it was in the San Antonio terminal.

At least Greyhound kicked the smelly passenger off the bus. They need to do that more often. Greyhound needs to crack down on suspicious and stupid passengers before they cause trouble, rather than banning bus photography.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Why do people have to be so Damn stubborn. Lol. How did greyhound get blames for what happened on the first video? It clearly days coach USA on the bus

 

[mightyjoe1201]

I wish we could kick passengers like that smelly guy off our buses.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I really hope Greyhound can sort out security problems and clean up their clientele. That, along with the Painful Premiers, is one of the last big hurdles for Greyhound. E-ticketing would help, but the current ticketing system is not that bad compared to having fights, attacks, smelly passengers, and other assorted disorder going on in the stations and buses.

Any suggestions for things Greyhound could do about this?

I'm going on a trip on Wednesday, and I wouldn't want my bus to be attacked. Though since I sit in the front, I could probably trip any assailant or jump him from behind when he goes after the driver.

Is there's anything that keeps the less-upstanding drivers from internationally driving slow to get overtime pay?

Edit: Regarding that Coach America bus, it is quite common that anything bad about motorcoaches instantly gets labeled "Greyhound". To make things worse, that bus company had been interlining with Greyhound.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Coach America was the biggest piece of crap ever. When they were Coach USA in the late 90s and through the early 2000s, they took over and dismantled so many good companies down here. Their fleet shrunk significantly from hundreds of buses to only a few dozen, before they became Coach America. No one misses that company down here.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Coach America went bankrupt and is dead. Its remaining assets were taken over by Coach USA or sold. That's how Greyhound got the single 102EL3, J4500s, and H3-45s.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Coach America went bankrupt and is dead. Its remaining assets were taken over by Coach USA or sold. That's how Greyhound got the single 102EL3, J4500s, and H3-45s.

Glad it did in 2012. Where does that 102EL3 operate? Do you know the number on that coach?

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Is there a difference between the 102EL3 and the J4500? The pictures I've seen they both look alike

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

The 102EL3 is #6665 (VIN 1M8TRMPAXXP060606) and is based out of either Dallas or Amarillo. Probably Dallas. It's a 1999 bus.

The EL3 has a lot more electronics than the J4500 and also has a tinted stripe along the top of the windshields, resulting in a smaller "forehead". The rear end is also different.

Here's a J4500: http://www.lasvegasbussales.com/coach-buses-for-sale/used-2004-mci-j4500-56-passenger-highway-coach-c62500.

Here's a 102EL3: http://www.lasvegasbussales.com/coach-buses-for-sale/used-bus-1999-mci-102-el3-56-passenger-highway-coach-with-6-video-monitors-c60627.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Thanks. Other then the stripe above the windshields I can't see a difference even in the rear end. I'd probably have to see it in person

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

The E's rear end is squarer than the J, but there really isn't much of a difference. I believe the engine compartment in the same.

Since I'm heading to Texas tomorrow, I'll be heavily watching BusTracker. Looks like today's 1308 to SLC was Blue G #30515. I wish I could have gone on that one, but that's OK, I'll see what come today on from SLC. Usually, the bus from SLC will be the next day's bus to SLC.

Yesterday's bus to Denver was second-hand 1997 DL3 #6966, but that bus was dropped at SLC this morning. So today's bus from SLC might just be #6966. Fingers crossed.

 

[rickycourtney]

In terms of marketing (which doesn't always reflect reality):

The E series was MCI's flagship tour/charter coach. It had all the bells and whistles that supposedly impress passengers.

The J series is MCI's middle of the road tour/charter coach. It has bells and whistles, but at a more affordable price. (That's why it undercut the E's sales.)

The D series is MCI's middle of the road intercity coach. It's supposed to strike a balance between reliability, while still having a few creature comforts.

The G series was MCI's bare bones intercity coach. It was built to be inexpensive.

Here's the model page from January 2006 from when MCI still sold all 4 coaches.

 

[rickycourtney]

One thing Greyhound could consider is a barrier that encloses the operator. Several transit agencies (including SF MUNI) are now equipping buses with them. The idea is to mostly seal off the drivers area floor to ceiling and first row to windshield using plexiglass (so the driver can still see). The latch keeping the barrier closed can only be operated from the inside.

It takes Greyhound's aisle gate idea and advances it one step further.

The other major suggestion is to have more predictable security. That means rules are enforced fairly and consistently by guards that are either Greyhound staff or a nationwide contractor. I'd also institute a program where security officers (both uniformed and plainclothes) regularly and randomly ride routes and kick passengers off for misbehavior (after fair warning of course).

If it becomes widely known (even by word of mouth) that rule breaking will not be tolerated, it might make some (but not all) passengers less likely to misbehave.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Greyhound drivers should also be more willing to kick passengers off the bus. There was a smelly jerk last year on #86535 that had peed his pants and refused to let anyone sit by him, even though the bus was sold out. He was mumbling and obviously had mental problems. The driver threatened to call the police if he didn't let anyone sit by him, but didn't kick him off the bus. If I was the driver, I would have kicked him out for the greater good of the other passengers.

The contracted security guards themselves seem less than competent. They seem more interested with preventing bus photography than with catching suspicious and disruptive passengers. Obviously, security failed to catch those passengers that attacked the buses. Instead of banning photography, Greyhound should be banning misbehavior.

On a different topic, the bus from SLC today was #6389, so I'll probably be on that bus tomorrow to SLC. That's fine with me, it's a DL3.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Kicking someone off a bus cause of bad hygiene is a sticky situation. You have a fine line to walk because you don't want to upset other passengers. Greyhound has the ability to throw someone off without too much penalty but it's still a fine line. No one wants to be embarrassed. With greyhound you also need to consider how long the person has Bern traveling. We all know that a bus trip of several days you font have anywhere to shower.

As to misbehavior, they really could do better at catching it. Sometimes the security guards just plain don't care because their probably not getting paid enough to care. Drivers also need to be more aware before they pull out.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Good luck on your trip. Hopefully you'll have goof weather.

If you can, keep your eyes open for me, you might pass our two nee gilligs that are on their way here from California.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

The main problem is that the guy on #86535 deserved to get kicked off. He wasn't just smelly, he peed his pants and soiled the seat pair. He was also mumbling to himself and refused to let anybody sit by him, even though the bus was sold out.

He could have walked the few yards to the restroom at the back of the bus rather than peeing on the seats. Thankfully, those are vinyl seats and would have been easily cleaned in Denver, the destination of the bus.

It's been really rainy the past few afternoons in Reno. Lots of quick thunder showers. I'll get up early tomorrow to catch the bus. Reno-Salt Lake City is one of the better rides.

On Facebook I saw a Greyhound driver complaining about a HVAC failure on X3-45 #86024. He says it was over 100 degrees inside. The thermometer failed and showed "--". He was running an Albany-White River Junction deadhead; it's not a scheduled route.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

That smelly guy not only was a disruption but greyhound should have thrown him off after he peed himself. That's a bio hazard. Thankfully the seats are easy yo clean. The old cloth seats would have been a problem. It took me and our mechanics several days to clean a seat after a passenger crapped all over it and it'd just plastic with a piece of cloth over it.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Hope they fixed that x3 before it went out on any kind of a run

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I'm not sure if White River Junction has a garage or not. If not, it would have had to go on a run to get fixed. Though I do think Vermont Transit may have had a garage there that Greyhound inherited. Not sure if it would have been closed already, though.