So if you’ve been around this blog at all lately, you know the short answer to “how does Greyhound work?” is “not well.” If you can afford to fly, I heartily recommend that you do so.
But sometimes, like when you need to get three people across the country and back when you’ve barely got $600, flying is not an option. So when you have to go Greyhound, here’s the long answer on how it works.
If you print your tickets at home, leave them in the order you get them. If you have more than one set of tickets, a paperclip to separate them by person would be good. If you get the little folder of tickets at the Greyhound station, DON’T pull them apart. This is how the employees actually track who’s supposed to be on the bus, and if it’s not attached to the rest of your itinerary you might miss your bus while they check things out.
One of the back pages in your ticket folder will have your itinerary printed on it, with stop times and places. This isn’t gospel. If you’re running behind, you might get ten minutes where you thought you’d have half an hour. Sometimes you won’t be able to get off the bus at all. The roomie and I worked out a strategy where one of us would be unusually pushy (‘unusually’ for us still leaves plenty of room to be polite!) in order to get in line at whatever food place we were, and the other would head for the bathroom. When the bathroom person got out, we’d switch lines. It is NOT taking cuts, since the person in line was ordering for the same three as the other person was.
If you’re traveling alone, you may have to decide what’s more important to you. Or not travel alone. It’s a team sport, in my opinion. You could always find a trustworthy-seeming fellow traveler and form an alliance a la Survivor.
Oh, also–I tried to avoid it, but I did have to use the onboard restroom more than once. It was not as bad as I expected, especially early in the trip. The bathrooms in the bus station in Atlanta were far worse, that’s for sure.
Listen to the driver–she knows where her bus is going, and she knows where it’s not. Generally they’ll make an announcement coming into a hub–everyone must change buses, or people going on from here to Atlanta get back on this bus, people going to Houston are changing buses, et cetera. If you’re not going to Houston but it’s on your itinerary to pass through it, you need to know that. If they don’t announce, ask the driver AS YOU’RE GETTING OFF THE BUS. Please don’t bother her while she’s driving. Please.
That leads me to how to get good seats when getting on the bus. I have some opinions about that.
If you’re near the front of the bus, I think, you’re more likely to get a seat-mate as the bus fills up. And the seats are narrow. Yeah, you probably guessed that. So try for a seat alone. From what I saw, as people got on and looked for seats, if they didn’t SEE an empty seat in the back, they would take one near the front. Few people went all the way to the back looking for empty seats, knowing they’d be brushing past people the whole way back and then returning to the front if there was nothing back there.
However, too close to the back and you’ll be smelling the lavatory before the end of the trip. No thanks!
We worked out various strategies as we went. The ones that seemed to succeed? Hope set her big backpack in the other seat and covered it with a blanket. It somewhat looked like a person was sleeping there. The roomie set her bag in the other seat and concentrated Very. Hard. on reading and not looking at people getting on the bus. (This one didn’t work so well.) Eventually she moved to pretending to be asleep, which was my method. I had my sunglasses (always) and I’d just tilt my head back and be asleep. With a bag at my feet and a bag in the seat next to me, it looked like there was another person sitting there and no one wanted to wake me up to ask. Sitting in the aisle seat and doing this might be even more effective, but I never risked it as I’d hate to give up the window seat. That’s not just the best view–it’s where the AC is, and I’d much rather be cold than hot, especially crammed onto a bus with a lot of strangers.
Getting on the bus in the first place–in the station they may tell you to put your carryon by the door you’ll be using to hold your spot in line. DO THIS. You can sit and watch it from a distance. If you are the first person on a new bus, yay. If you are joining a route already in progress, there are many seats already taken, and you want your choice of the ones left.
Be polite, but firm. When we got on the bus in Tucson, we had our luggage by the door. We should have been first on the bus–but several people just walked by our luggage to get ahead of us though we’d been waiting four hours. I waited in vain for a Greyhound employee to say something. Normally I’m pretty laid-back when it comes to traveling. There’s no point in getting all stressed out–that just leads to a miserable journey, right? No. Because I didn’t say anything, those people got the better seats, and my traveling party was broken up far from each other and next to rude people, all three of whom had no idea of personal space. It was a miserable part of our journey.
Our first bus-change was in Dallas, and by then I’d learned. Due to the delays, an entire busload of people needed to be rerouted, so we all stood there in one of those lines demarcated by ribbons on poles, and people kept walking around the line to go talk to the ticket agent we were all waiting for. I politely pointed out the end of the line to each and every one. I think it’s possible I prevented a riot. We were not happy campers at that point.
You can speak up. You don’t have to be rude. Think of it as contributing to the greater good. Think of it as protecting the less fortunate, unable to recognize a line when they see one. Think of it as protecting the future from your cranky self if people keep stepping on your metaphorical toes.
On leaving your luggage–we did it several times, both for lining-up purposes, and when we got off at rest stops. You want to leave something on the bus to hold your seat, and sometimes I left the backpack with my netbook in it, and sometimes I was too paranoid. Hope pretty much always left the backpack with the big (and heavy!) laptop in it. Neither was ever touched. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t happen to you. It’s just an observation. I wouldn’t leave, say, my cash and my ticket on the bus.
Don’t leave your ticket on the bus anyway. You may need it to get back on.
Those new buses with WiFi and electrical outlets you’ll see on Greyhound’s website? Aren’t available for every route. Enjoy one if you get one, but don’t count on it.
Reboarding passes–when you’ll be staying with the same bus for at least a few stops, the driver should give you a reboarding pass. Normally they do this as you get on the bus for the first time. Make sure you get one, remember the number on it, and keep it handy.
Bus numbers–make a note of what bus you’re on. It’s not the same as the number on the reboarding pass! The announcements will call out your reboarding pass number, but the announcements aren’t always audible so you want to be able to tell at a glance if they’re loading YOUR bus when all the people are lining up. That’s when you wave your reboarding pass–reboarders get on before the new passengers, and you get to hold your seat. With luck and a strategy, you may not even get a seatmate.
Recharging stations–each actual Greyhound station had a recharging counter, but the sockets were awful and wouldn’t hold the plugs properly. Three-pronged plugs worked better, so maybe bring along a small power-strip? Especially if you have more than one thing to charge.
Station food–it’s not great, but we didn’t see any that was scary in any way but the price. If you can live for three days on granola bars and/or beef jerky, go for it. Otherwise plan on spending $6 for a $2 cheeseburger. Also the restaurants close late at night though the buses don’t stop coming, so if you’re stopped at Whataburger at midnight and thinking you’ll wait till that three a.m. hour-long layover in the next town to get some hot food–you should probably get your food at Whataburger. It’s cheaper, better, and the Whataburger in Midland, Texas has the most adorable cashier at two in the morning.
ETA: If you have questions, please ask! I’ll answer to the best of my ability.
One question I’ve been seeing searched is, how to put the seat back on a bus? If the seats have that capability, there’s a little lever under the arm, way down by the seat.
Also, it took us a while to figure out that the seat-arms can be moved. The one in the middle just goes up between the seats. The one on the outside twists–pull it towards the front of the bus while twisting it towards the aisle. And the little frame-thingys on the back of the seats in front of you? Those are footrests. Push it all the way down and click it up–it has a couple levels.
Do they scan the ticket or just look at it?
It’s been three years now since I took Greyhound, but when I did, they took the applicable section of ticket. Like going into a movie theater, they would tear off the section of ticket when I changed buses. They may have moved to scanners by now; I don’t know.
Nope they are still taking paper tickets.
Thank you!
Hello! I’ve never been on any type of bus/public transportation, so I’m just wondering how it works. My destination just says Chicago, IL and I know which station I need to stop at but does the bus just go through all the stations and you get off at whatever one you need? or do I need to buy tickets for a certain stop?
-Thank you in advance!
The bus will follow a specific route; it will not stop at all the stations. When you buy your ticket, I would recommend ordering it with your specific beginning and ending points on it. If you’ve already purchased your ticket, I would call Customer Service.
I hope you have a great trip!
Is it possible to get lost? What if you miss your bus? I’m traveling from Virginia to Louisiana next August and just don’t want to get lost!
Also can you print out the ticket more than once?
I don’t know! Try it? If you can’t, maybe you could make copies just in case?
I’m sure it’s possible, but not likely. I relied heavily on the bus drivers. They know where they are going, and how to help you get where you are going! I do not know what happens if you miss your bus, but it is not hard to NOT miss your bus.
Wondering if it is mandatory to get off at the stops? especially at night…. I don’t want to have to get off the bus and lose my seat…… headed to D.C from Nashville….. thank you! <3
Hello, Barb! At some stops it is mandatory, but mostly it isn’t. If they are going to service or change the bus, they will make you get off. We just always left most of our stuff in place if they didn’t make us take it, and never lost anything including our seats. If they say you have to get off and take everything, you probably will lose your seat unless you’re lucky enough to be one of the first back on.
Hope your trip is awesome!
Thank you, I’m traveling alone for the first time on a bus and at 64…. I can mostly just stay put, 15 hours is not too bad, (especially with a transfer in Charlottesville, Va…. I travel frequently between Nashville and Michigan and that’s about 10 – 12 hours by car…. I can stand up to stretch but my granddaughter who is overly concerned wants me to buy mace….. I told her no, I would be fine… I’m thinking a row near the bus driver will make me feel more secure….. your thoughts? Thanx again….. <3
We were three women traveling from Arizona to Florida and back, not usually sitting together, and we had NO problems. Near the driver is an excellent plan if you feel worried for any reason.
Hi there. We will be virgin Greyhound users, travelling from Washington DC to Las Vegas. We were wondering if the ticket allows you to get off periodically, to stay in hotel to freshen up and then get back on the bus on the same route the next day?
Hello! I actually don’t know if this can be done. I would expect your stops would need to be planned, if so. I would call Greyhound to set up your ticket exactly the way you want it. Hopefully they will be able to help you.
Enjoy your trip!
Hi, there, I booked a trip from Riverside to Las Vegas. It will change bus at San Bernardino, which has almost 3 hours layover. I just wonder if I miss or change my mind not to take the firs section(from Riverside-San Bernardino), will they still let me get on the second section(San Bernardino-Las Vegas)? Thanks.
Hi, Lisa. I’d recommend calling Greyhound to find out on this one. I have no experience of this situation, so I can’t advise you.
Have a great trip!
Hey there, thanks for this advice. My partner and I are about to take a 41 hour Greyhound trip from Mobile, AL to Albuquerque, NM. I am concerned that we will not be able to sit together. Our boarding numbers are 1 and 2. Do you think we could make the whole trip sitting together? If not, what can we do to try? Thanks for any advice you can give.
Charles
Hello, Charles! I would not expect you to have trouble sitting together for most if not all of the trip. When we went, the first few hours were the only time we couldn’t sit together. That was because a bus was canceled, and so we were packed onto a bus that was already nearly full. We went from Tucson to Orlando and back, and that was the only time we had that problem.
I hope your trip is great!
Going to atlanta with my adult daughter who is a bit heavy,about 290 pounds. Do I need to get a extra seat for her. The trip takes 22 hours and we want to be comfortable.
You should be all right. I was about 280 when I went–and I’m short, so I was probably wider than your daughter.
have a great trip!
Hi,
If I have a bus transfer (also called layover I think?) of 55 minutes, do you think I’ll have time to get out of the station to a store or something? Am I even allowed to leave the station during bus transfers? How long beforehand should I be there to get on the next bus?
Thank you for your help
I’m extremely cautious with Greyhound, so I would not leave the station with a layover of less than an hour. I might try it with two or three hours, but only at dire need. Their schedules are subject to change at short notice! Also bear in mind that the stations are usually not in very good neighborhoods–we did attempt, a couple times on very long layovers, to look for an option to the expensive and bland food at the stations, and most of the time we were in industrial areas without a store or fast-food place in sight.
Do the buses have conductors for the voyage or an employee besides the driver who would keep order between the passengers if they needed?
Not when I rode. I really doubt they have anyone now. That said, we were three women (My daughter was…15?) traveling from Arizona to Florida and back, and the worst we encountered on the bus were a couple guys who were really loud well into the night. They rudely ignored several polite requests to be quieter, but when I pointed out the entire bus was trying to sleep and other people agreed, they did quiet themselves.
I just ordered my tickets, but I trip isn’t until November 2. Would they still take the tickets if I’ve already printed them out? Or do you have them printed the day before?
I printed ours out well before our trip, so I think you’ll be fine. Hope you have a great journey!
Is there anyway to know if someone boarded the bus? Do they scan tickets? I called greyhound and they said yes, but I’m reading comments that say otherwise. Trying to get my daughter home from bad situation and she doesn’t have a cell phone.
I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. Hopefully your daughter is safely home! They do scan tickets, in my experience.