You don’t need to be American or have even been to America to have heard of Greyhound. Founded by one man, Eric Wickman, in Hibbing, Minnesota back in 1914, Greyhound is an American icon.
Sadly, over the last few decades, it has faded into obscurity. The advent of low-cost air travel and the affordability of private cars have driven all but the most desperate away from the Good Dog, as its former owner affectionately dubbed it. Now, its reputation is for transporting the great unwashed, and unreliably at that.
Why I Crossed America By Greyhound
As I told a bemused CBP officer at Miami Airport, I’m a little bit mad. What more reason did I need to set out on a 10,000-mile trip on this ailing Good Dog? This was a trip I’d wanted to take for years, and putting my questionable mental state to one side, I did have a few good reasons to.
First and foremost, I’ll confess to being a bit of a transport aficionado. I love anything to do with trains, planes and automobiles, providing that automobile is a bus rather than a car. The bus industry is particularly close to my heart, too. I learnt to drive a bus at the age of 18, and when I’m not writing, my full-time job is managing a bus company in Scotland. As a bit of a hobby, I still get the chance to spend the occasional weekend driving coachloads of tourists around the UK. A busman’s holiday seemed very much in order.
On top of that, it seemed, and indeed proved to be, a great way to see the United States. Flying, as comfortable and quick as it can be, causes you to miss so much on the ground. Even on a clear day, it’s impossible to make out all but the largest landmarks.
Add to that the chance to experience far more places. As a rule, I didn’t travel overnight, and stayed in hotels in dozens of towns and cities around the country.
My somewhat windy journey started in Jacksonville, Florida and ended in Los Angeles. Along the way, I spent nights in 33 different states, met hundreds of interesting people and saw so much more than I would have on a flight, or even a train.
Finally, I got to experience the full and massive size of the U.S. On one journey, I travelled through four time zones, saw cultures change, got sunstroke in the California desert and felt cold like never before in the North Dakota winter.
Things To Know If You Do The Same
Booking Tickets
The days of buying tickets at bus stations are no longer the norm. That said, it is still possible in some locations and one of Greyhound’s biggest selling points is that it is the only major form of transport in the U.S. to accept cash payments. The easiest way to book is via their mobile app.
The Greyhound app is a direct copy of the Flixbus app and, seeing as Flix now owns Greyhound, it doesn’t matter which you book on. Both sell tickets for each other’s services. They also sell tickets for a few other operators as connections where Greyhound and Flix don’t operate.
You can also use the app to change or cancel existing bookings, select seats and pay for extra luggage. Prices work similarly to airline tickets and change based on demand, so it isn’t always cheaper to book early.
Where to Sit
There can be only one answer to this: the front seats. There are only two bookable front row seats, as the pair behind the driver are always blocked out, so you will want to grab them as soon as possible.
Front seats are, unsurprisingly, the most expensive, generally costing around $9 – $14 per person to select. The second row is noticeably cheaper and has slightly better legroom if you don’t mind forfeiting the best view.
If you choose not to pay to select a seat, you’ll be allocated one at random. Make sure you always sit in your allocated seat, some drivers get quite annoyed if someone tries to move. On the other hand, some of the more friendly drivers will do their best to offer a double seat to solo travellers if they know there’s one free.
Safety
Bus travel, in general, is inherently safe. Or, it would be, if you never needed to get on or off. In my experience, the only times I felt the need to be conscious of my surroundings were at stops or bus stations.
Greyhound stations tend to be in some of the worst areas of town and attract some unscrupulous people. You’ll often be approached for money or, possibly more often, a cigarette if you’re standing outside the station. Larger stations have 24-hour security who only allow ticketholders entrance, but the smaller ones can be entered by all and sundry.
Saying that, although some of the areas didn’t feel particularly safe, there were only a couple of occasions I saw anything untoward happen.
The other problem with bus stations is that they’re closing at an expeditious rate. When Flix purchased Greyhound, the bus stations weren’t included in the sale so leases aren’t being extended. In some places, you’re left with just a kerbside stop with no protection from the elements, or anyone else.
Have a Back-Up Plan
The biggest problem I encountered on my trip was reliability. Greyhounds don’t have, nor deserve, the best reputation for getting you to your destination on time, or even at all.
My first mishap was in Big Spring, Texas when an early morning bus to Tucson drove straight past on the interstate and left me stranded. When I finally got hold of Greyhound when their phone lines opened, they claimed to have no idea where the bus was and assured me it would turn up. Of course, it didn’t, because I’d watched on the tracker as it went straight past and was by now winding its way to El Paso.
My only option to reach Tucson on the same day was to book a flight via Houston from Midland Airport, some sixty miles and a $150 taxi ride away. Similar situations occurred three more times on my trip, plus a few instances of last-minute rethinks due to schedule changes.
Whilst an annoyance and unwanted expense, as someone who travels regularly, it wasn’t a disaster. However, the majority of Greyhound’s target customers are not leisure travellers.
Most of the people you’ll meet along the way are there out of necessity. For the most part, they choose Greyhound as it’s cheaper, or as I mentioned earlier, they can pay with cash. For them, booking an expensive on-the-day flight, train or hotel room isn’t an option.
Would I Do It Again?
In a heartbeat. If I could return tomorrow and do it all over again, with a slightly different route of course, I’d be there.
Trips like this aren’t about luxury or convenience, they’re not even about the miles you cover. They’re about the encounters you have along the way. They’re about the setbacks, the memories, they’re about enjoying every moment and worrying about the gained pounds and credit card bills later. But most importantly, they’re about the people you meet along the way.
Bar a handful of new friends made, I’ll never see or speak to most of the people I met again. But, for a small time, they were part of my life, and I was there.
The ex-convict with whom I shared a coffee at a gas station in Texas, the lady travelling home to Tucson having very ceremoniously dumped her boyfriend in Nashville, and the man who lived in a car in Portsmouth, NH with whom I had a very animated debate on the British monarchy.
Then, there was the driver from the Philippines with a degree in English Literature who gave the most moving speech about compassion and acceptance to a couple of fighting passengers. And sweet old Benny, the Vegas-based driver whose bus I wound up on twice, the week before he retired.
I could go on forever, but I think you get the gist. Taking the Greyhound across America is not luxurious, it’s not even cheap, but it is memorable. It will open your eyes to parts of this great, vast country you never knew existed.
<p>The post I Crossed America by Greyhound: This is What You Need To Know first appeared on Travelbinger.</p>