How reliable - or not - is Greyhound?

[rs9]

My first attempt to avoid flying for environmental purposes has been thwarted by Amtrak's service cuts.

I'm considering Greyhound instead of flying. The issue is my trip would be 12 hours Rochester to Boston with two transfers.

Granted, you only hear the horror stories, but I've seen a lot of mentions of Greyhound cancelling buses if they aren't full though. I'm nervous about getting stuck somewhere and really getting in a fix as my return train home starts in Boston. Thoughts?

 

[jebr]

What date are you looking at traveling? It looks like there's an Amtrak departure from Rochester at 5:42 AM each day which connects at NYP to Boston that isn't affected by the service cuts. I'd strongly lean towards doing that if that schedule works.

Looking at the Greyhound schedule, it looks like the 2-transfer schedule includes a transfer in both Syracuse (2 hours) and Albany (1 hour.) Generally, but not always, that's enough time, though usually you'll be accommodated on the next bus with space as time allows. Chances are it'll likely go okay, but I'd personally still lean towards Amtrak just because Amtrak's generally more reliable, and would have less transfers.

 

[rs9]

Weds. 5/18. In this case, my host in Rochester can't drive me to the train station that early due to kids getting ready for school. I suppose I could get a taxi, but my costs are adding up then.

Unfortunately, flying seems like the most reasonable way from Point A to Point B. Just sucks as my New Year's resolution was to try not step on a plane for any Amtrak day trip or one-night travel.

 

[Willbridge]

I've heard second-hand of Greyhound canceling a run due to a shortage of passengers, but it's never happened to me or anyone who I knew. (My GL experience goes back to the 1950's.) My surmise is that the cancellation was for some other reason.

As I described in a previous post, a few years ago my PDX>DEN trip was interrupted at SLC by winter storms and mechanical problems. GL did have a spare bus at SLC, so the trip departed on time for points east of there. We through passengers had to wait in the SLC intermodal station till the next morning. That's the only time that has happened to me. Sadly, GL is far more likely to stay close to the schedule than Amtrak.

 

[George Harris]

It has been something like 15 years since I was last on a Greyhound, but it is becoming a shadow of its former self. In this part of the country downtown stations have disappeared and we are left with hard to find stops usually surrounded by people you would not want behind your back. About a year ago I looked into a Memphis - Pensacola trip, as flying by now has you go either through Dallas or Charlotte, taking close to driving time by you count to/from airport and check in times. (you can drive it comfortably in 8 plus stop times. Formerly it could be done with a direct to Mobile bus or with a change in Jackson MS and Mobile. It appears that it is down to a couple trips, mostly with multiple stops so that I was looking at 14 hours plus with 3 changes. This for 420 miles. 14 hours was local train time was in 1950.

 

[BlackDiamond]

It has been something like 15 years since I was last on a Greyhound, but it is becoming a shadow of its former self. In this part of the country downtown stations have disappeared and we are left with hard to find stops usually surrounded by people you would not want behind your back. About a year ago I looked into a Memphis - Pensacola trip, as flying by now has you go either through Dallas or Charlotte, taking close to driving time by you count to/from airport and check in times. (you can drive it comfortably in 8 plus stop times. Formerly it could be done with a direct to Mobile bus or with a change in Jackson MS and Mobile. It appears that it is down to a couple trips, mostly with multiple stops so that I was looking at 14 hours plus with 3 changes. This for 420 miles. 14 hours was local train time was in 1950.

Could you take the CONO to NOL and get a bus from there? I know time wise it would be longer than driving (8 hours from Memphis to NOL alone).

 

[Gary Behling]

It has been something like 15 years since I was last on a Greyhound, but it is becoming a shadow of its former self. In this part of the country downtown stations have disappeared and we are left with hard to find stops usually surrounded by people you would not want behind your back. About a year ago I looked into a Memphis - Pensacola trip, as flying by now has you go either through Dallas or Charlotte, taking close to driving time by you count to/from airport and check in times. (you can drive it comfortably in 8 plus stop times. Formerly it could be done with a direct to Mobile bus or with a change in Jackson MS and Mobile. It appears that it is down to a couple trips, mostly with multiple stops so that I was looking at 14 hours plus with 3 changes. This for 420 miles. 14 hours was local train time was in 1950.

Consider a one way rental car next time. That's what I did going from Tucson to Las Vegas

 

[George Harris]

Consider a one way rental car next time. That's what I did going from Tucson to Las Vegas

Had the car. My objective was to, using the old Greyhound advertising slogan, to "leave the driving to us" so that I did not have to do the drive. I would rather kick back and read or look out the window.

 

[20th Century Rider]

Geeee Wizzzz... Greyhound ain't what it used to be... and what it used to be wasn't much.

Now it's even less... relegated to 'upgraded hitch hiking' on a bus that goes but only if everything goes well! So many horror stories... so much uncertainty... scary scary scary.

 

[user 6862]

Geeee Wizzzz... Greyhound ain't what it used to be... and what it used to be wasn't much.

Now it's even less... relegated to 'upgraded hitch hiking' on a bus that goes but only if everything goes well! So many horror stories... so much uncertainty... scary scary scary.

But are they just stories or are they facts?

 

[user 6862]

My first attempt to avoid flying for environmental purposes has been thwarted by Amtrak's service cuts.

I'm considering Greyhound instead of flying. The issue is my trip would be 12 hours Rochester to Boston with two transfers.

Granted, you only hear the horror stories, but I've seen a lot of mentions of Greyhound cancelling buses if they aren't full though. I'm nervous about getting stuck somewhere and really getting in a fix as my return train home starts in Boston. Thoughts?

Until 2020 any visit of ours to the US included one Greyhound journey of at least the duration you mention alongside Amtrak train(s), but the last Greyhound journey we made was 3 years ago. Up until then it was at least once per year.

Yes Greyhound service levels reduced over the last 8 or 9 years, most recently as the then owners preared to sell the company. 2 Transfers is unfortunate in such a short journey, but that may be due to staff shortages or reduced schedules just like Amtrak trying to cope with Covid?

That the buses themselves improved in the last 5 or 6 years years is in no doubt, more comfortable and most started to include wifi too.

Our experience is the ridership is slightly different even to coach in Amtrak, but that's not a negative, just different. The stations are often basic, but these days so are some of Amtraks. We'll only know in a few years time whether all the cutbacks in transport is due to Covid or corporate use of Covid as an excuse to save money.

Reliabilty is diffiicult to estimate, most of our maybe 30000 miles on Greyhound in the last 20 years have been admirably prompt, reliable and on time, a couple of times we have been properly stuck by situation changes but nothing life threatening.

Going green is not going to be without cost, in effort, time or cost, that's your choice. But I can say some of our most memorable experiences in the USA have been connected to Greyhound journeys, some bad, but the vast majority good.

Why not try it and give us all some up to date information?

 

[George Harris]

Could you take the CONO to NOL and get a bus from there? I know time wise it would be longer than driving (8 hours from Memphis to NOL alone).

Looked at that. No rational connection. There was a reasonable bus running time, but it left before scheduled arrival so it meant several hours wait and then another wait with a change at Mobile, and the reverse was true, either wait several hours, and in the case of the west/north run, leave Pensacola at something like 4:00am. Worked out to something over 20 hours in each direction.

 

[KillerCroconaw]

I’ve been on several Greyhound trips. I hate flying. It’s been pretty reliable. I feel like it would be okay if it weren’t for the types of people you meet. You’re going to come across a certain class of people. Not to be rude or anything, but they’re the types you’d want to avoid. I’ve learned to keep to myself and not talk to them. For reference, I was talking solo Greyhound tips as a female traveler since I was 18. I am 24 years old now, and haven’t encountered any major problems.

 

[TheVig]

One problem that has plagued Greyhound for a number of years is driver shortages. They can’t seem to hire enough drivers. Nobody beating down the doors to drive for them. Couple that with driver time out. Like a tractor trailer driver, after so many hours of on the job, they require x amount of continuous time off. This creates a lot of delays and cancellations for Greyhound. Toss in bad winter weather and things get really fun, fast.

As others have said, some of their customers leave a lot to be desired. If it wasn’t for Greyhound, many wouldn’t be traveling at all. Greyhound has partnered with some retail outlets like 7-11 to allow customers to buy tickets using cash. Stop taking cash, full stop, and you would probably clean up stereotype riders fast. That would also cause further diminished ridership though. Last thing Greyhound needs.

Some of Greyhound’s commuter type runs ain’t too bad to ride in the Northeast.

It will be interesting to see what FlixBus does with Greyhound moving forward. Hopefully they make a successful go of it.

 

[Barb Stout]

Between 2016 and 2020 (I haven't traveled yet since the pandemic struck), I took 6 Greyhound bus trips between either Cleveland, Toledo, or Cincinnatti and Columbus Ohio. On one of the trips between Columbus and Cleveland, the bus failed to show up for over 4 hours. We kept being told that it was coming; that it wasn't canceled, but it became obvious that if we continued to wait for it, we would miss our Lakeshore Limited train in Cleveland. So my sister and I and another passenger that had been waiting for that same bus got together and ordered an Uber to take us to Cleveland. When we got there, there was no access to the train station due to blocked roads, but that's another story. But the other 5 Greyhound bus trips were nicely eventless. I do recall on one of the trips, the bus driver read us the riot act before heading out (as in "Monkey business will not be tolerated"). Everyone was quiet and well-behaved for the entire trip with the only sounds coming from a little girl who occasionally squealed in delight about something she was playing with.

 

[hlcteacher]

greyhound is more reliable than amtrak, i travel on the bus often all over the country; more transfers are needed now than previously, but it gets me where i am going, never had a horror story

 

[TheVig]

greyhound is more reliable than amtrak, i travel on the bus often all over the country; more transfers are needed now than previously, but it gets me where i am going, never had a horror story

You mind sharing some of your LD routings? I'm curious.

 

[boxcar479]

But are they just stories or are they facts?

Here's a Greyhound story that is a fact. In 2008 in Manitoba? Canada a passenger beheaded another passenger and tried to eat the guy.! He finally came off the bus carrying the guys head. He spent a year in psch/evaluation and was released back out into the public. YIKES!!! to the o.p. the plane will be going with or without you and will put out the same emissions. If it were me I'd fly.

 

[user 6862]

Here's a Greyhound story that is a fact. In 2008 in Manitoba? Canada a passenger beheaded another passenger and tried to eat the guy.! He finally came off the bus carrying the guys head. He spent a year in psch/evaluation and was released back out into the public. YIKES!!! to the o.p. the plane will be going with or without you and will put out the same emissions. If it were me I'd fly.

Sounds like Canada is the place to commit a crime.

 

[Fenway]

In 2007 just to say I had done it I took Greyhound from San Francisco to Boston.

Left the Transbay terminal at Midnight on Sunday on a bus to Salt Lake City. ( uneventful )
(bus 2) Sunday night left SLC for Grand Junction, CO (slept)
(bus 3) Grand Junction to Denver (actually enjoyable as the driver pointed out things along the way)
(bus 4) Denver to St. Louis via KC - boring
(bus 5) Now it is Tuesday and they had signs in the St. Louis station warning passengers to not wander in the neighborhood. Spent the layover charging my phone in an outside picnic area on station property and then on to Chicago.
(bus 6) Chicago to Cleveland - I am braindead at this point.
(bus 7) Cleveland to Boston via Buffalo

Finally got to South Station Boston on Wednesday evening where my wife greeted me and said you look awful

I was lucky as I had the seat to myself on every segment.

The problem with Greyhound on that trip was nobody cared along the way about segments past or future - just your current segment.

I can tolerate a bus for a short-haul and even took a Chinatown bus from Boston to NY once for $10. That trip unnerved me as it left Boston at 5 PM on a Monday night and arrived in NYC Chinatown at 7:50 PM (210 miles do the math)

 

[Trollopian]

A few years ago I took Greyhound from Pittsburgh to Washington. I can't remember exactly why; either the Capitol Limited was briefly suspended, or was going through one of its stretches of colossal delays (probably in the cursed Chicago-South Bend corridor), but for whatever reason, I took Greyhound. Mind you, in Pittsburgh, the Greyhound and Amtrak stations are across the street from each other and mere minutes from my apartment.

The Greyhound driver didn't even begin boarding us passengers until the scheduled departure time.

About 30 minutes after we finally departed, we had a "rest stop" on the turnpike near Somerset, PA. (Not Breezewood, which at least would've been about midway.) That was the sole rest stop. Huh?

The bus then chugged on its way without incident.

Next stop was Frederick, MD. I don't begrudge bus service to Frederick. It's a good-sized town and deserves bus service. So getting off and then back on the interstate was a bore, but okay.

Then we headed to Baltimore. WHO THE HECK DECIDED TO ROUTE A BUS FROM PITTSBURGH TO WASHINGTON VIA BALTIMORE? Look at a map. That adds 1.5 to 2 hours to travel time.

Of course, this was on a bus, with no option to move around, and most seats filled, and dull dull dull scenery.

(There are now two "direct" Greyhounds from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. One goes via Frederick and Baltimore, as I described, the other goes via Harrisburg and Baltimore, which is equally circuitous.)

I will never, ever, choose to take Greyhound again. If the Capitol Limited is unavailable for some reason I'll head out to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, hike my skirt like Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night, and see what happens.

 

[NativeSon5859]

I’ve done many long haul trips on the dog, with more to come. The three worst things that happened to me over the course of 15+ years of consistent riding were 1) our bus from Denver to Dallas broke down north of Ft.Worth (they sent a replacement bus around an hour or so later), 2) my New York-Los Angeles bus made it all the way to Las Vegas on time only to not have a driver for the Vegas-L.A portion (I walked a few blocks down the road and took FlixBus, though I saw a greyhound driver finally showed after a few hours), and 3) I had a several hour delay one time in Atlanta waiting on a driver for an Orlando run. By and large though, they’ve got me where I’ve needed to go more or less on time, with no major issues.

 

[MARC Rider]

About 30 minutes after we finally departed, we had a "rest stop" on the turnpike near Somerset, PA. (Not Breezewood, which at least would've been about midway.) That was the sole rest stop. Huh?

It took you 30 minutes to get to Somerset from Pittsburgh?!! Wow, that's 72 miles. I know people speed on the Turnpike, but that's something else.

And the bus routing you described was weird. I can see stopping in Frederick, but why not Hagerstown, too? And to route it through Baltimore? Perhaps there are more people who are taking the bus to Baltimore than to Washington.

 

[daybeers]

There are now two "direct" Greyhounds from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. One goes via Frederick and Baltimore, as I described, the other goes via Harrisburg and Baltimore, which is equally circuitous.

omg that's ridiculous

 

[Fenway]

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