Riding a Greyhound, I don't know how buses work

Double_Chris

So, I'm moving a considerable distance on Sunday, and I'll be on the bus for 2 days. I'm a little confused at when I'm supposed to be changing buses, so I'm hoping someone can help me figure it out.

Looking at the itinerary, there appears to be 12 stops in total. I've got 4 actual tickets, so I'm assuming I have to change buses 4 times?

The tickets I got are:
Tacoma to Portland
Portland to Denver
Denver to Kansas City
Kansas City to Bethany

And there's a bunch of stops in between, as I said there's something like 12 stops overall.

So like I said, I think those are the times I actually change what bus I'm on when we stop, correct? How do I know which bus I'm supposed to be getting on? Are there bus numbers on my ticket that I'm just not seeing, or do the buses have their destination on some sort of LED display and I just hope I'm getting on the right on? On my ticket, the only thing I can see resembling a bus number is a Boarding Number. Does that show what bus I'm supposed to be on?

ahava

it's been a long time since I was on greyhound last.

From memory, your boarding number should be the bus that you're looking for.

The best thing that I found that I needed to do was talk to the bus drivers. They know where they're going and things like that. Be super nice, polite, and they should have no problems answering your question. Also, there should be a station master that you can talk to at each stop in case you are worried. Also, greyhound's 1800 customer service is pretty awesome. Or at least they were.


the last time that I rode the bus I was going to NJ to Maine. The bus drivers on each bus took very good care of me. Especially the first one. i didn't realize that I had a transfer, so I got on the bus and stayed there. When the time came for me to switch at the station, the driver made sure to find me on the bus and tell me.

Best of luck with the move!!

Double_Chris

Thanks for the comment.

I figured if I had any problems or anything I'd just ask the driver or someone at the station whenever we stop. I just thought I'd look for help on here before I leave on Sunday.

Druhim

Yeah, it's not unlike riding a train. If I buy an Amtrak ticket from Seattle to Portland, there are of course going to be stops along the way because other passengers will be getting on/off at other stations. If you're not clear on which bus you're supposed to board, just ask someone that works at the station.

Mojo_Jojo

Yes, the bus will stop at places to on/offload. You just sit tight unless you need to transfer at that particular point.

Druhim wrote: »

Yeah, it's not unlike riding a train. If I buy an Amtrak ticket from Seattle to Portland, there are of course going to be stops along the way because other passengers will be getting on/off at other stations. If you're not clear on which bus you're supposed to board, just ask someone that works at the station.

Trains also stop at places between their start and end points.

Edit:
I can't read apparently. Sorry about that.

Druhim

Yes, that's what I said.

edit: no sweat man, it's cool

Old Red Ink

Yes, you only need to transfer between tickets. It's a good idea to keep track of the other stops to know where on the route you are, but you don't have to get off the bus.

Greyhound tickets are kind of confusing - while your ticket has a time on it, it's actually good for any bus travelling on that route on the same day. Any numbers on your ticket refer to the route and not a specific bus. To find the bus you need to get on at the terminal, there should be signs in the terminal listing the destinations of each bus. If you're having a hard time finding the right bus, people typically start queueing up for the bus well before it arrives, so in busy and confusing terminals my general strategy is to ask people in queues what bus they're waiting for until I find the right one.

When you're on the bus trying to figure out when you should get off, be aware that the driver doesn't always announce the stops so it's sometimes unclear where exactly you are. However, transfers usually take place at major terminals, so when you get to the transfer point you should be alerted by the fact that a bunch of other people are getting off. Generally I recommend paying attention not only to where your transfers are but when they are so that you know when (approximately) you should be getting off the bus.

Double_Chris

That's kind of what I was thinking. There's an itinerary that came with my ticket of all the stops on the trip, so I re-wrote it with all the info I need for a handier reference.

Justice

Just harass the fuck out of the drivers. Seriously. This is your one bus ride, you paid for it, you can make the dude tell you where you are whenever you're in doubt, or where the driver in the bus you're curious about is going. It'll be cool.

phoo

I last rode greyhound a very long time ago, but there were occasional stops along the way to allow passengers to buy food. These stops are not regular - I never quite knew when one was coming or what sort of hole in the wall it might be at. At the time I was a vegetarian, so there wasn't much I was going to eat at burger king. But sometimes it was a mom and pop place, or a mini-grocery store. So there will be opportunities to acquire more food, but I wouldn't rely on it soley unless you aren't much of an eater.

Strangely, I think I liked the bus bathroom better than the bus station's. Less through traffic made it probably cleaner.

b0bd0d

The transfer is you get off the bus, go into the station, they transfer your luggage to the new bus, you hang out until you leave on your next bus. The other stops are going to be to either pick up or drop off. You don't get off for those. You may stop for food and shit but the driver will tell you. The transfer stations are kind of like a smaller and dirtier train station. You can walk around and there's usually a food place and bathrooms. You just walk outside and find your new bus parked next to the station. The buses have numbers or signs on them saying where they are going. I think there's probably gonna be a help desk too. They might also have a screen with departures/arrivals and info. If you talk to your fellow riders, you may find somebody going the same direction and can follow them. I made bus friends. It was helpful to have somebody watch your stuff so you could sleep.

I've ridden greyhound a few times. Longest was from Atlanta to Chicago. Took 22 hours. Ugh. We also took a field trip on a charter bus for class and drove from Illinois to Canada, drove around Canada, then drove back. It was about uh...like 56 total hours on the same bus in 7 days.

Here are some tips:
-Watch your stuff when you transfer buses cause they just kinda pull your stuff off and stick it on the new bus. It's very ghetto and people can just stand around and hangout. I'm also paranoid and did not want my stuff to be in Nashville and me in Chicago. Or in some asshole's house. Do the thing were you tag your stuff with a brightly colored piece of fabric like a handkerchief on a handle or something similar.
-The times on my tickets didn't account for the time change, so the 1 am arrival and 2:15 am departure was really arrive at 2 am(local) and leave 15 minutes later.
-Sit in the front or middle so you don't have to deal with the toilet...unless that's like a thing for you.
-Bring a small lightweight backpack with some snacks, paper towels, and whatever entertainment you want. Water or drinks are a good thing. Fruits and some chips or something. I guess you could try bringing a travel pillow or something. Carry a small amount of cash and some change for a payphone.. Maybe a ten, two fives, and ten ones. This way you can use vending machines or give a bum a dollar if need be.
-Idk what the weather is gonna be like, so you might wana dress accordingly. The bus might be cold, so maybe stash a hoodie/sweater. You can use it as a pillow or blanket too. It might be hot too, so you might need to undress.
-People might talk to you. People may also try and sell you things.
-Poor people ride the bus. Sick people also ride the bus. So do newly released prisoners/soldiers and crazy people. Shady characters hang around bus stations. I saw a pimp in Nashville looking for fresh talent. How do I know he was a pimp? He had on a three piece purple suit, hat, and gators at 2am and no luggage. Be careful.
-Sleeping on a bus is horrible. You are going to feel like shit when you get to where you are going. You may also get sick. Drink plenty of fluids and maybe hit the vitamin C.

Tofystedeth

b0bd0d wrote: »

The transfer is you get off the bus, go into the station, they transfer your luggage to the new bus, you hang out until you leave on your next bus. The other stops are going to be to either pick up or drop off. You don't get off for those. You may stop for food and shit but the driver will tell you. The transfer stations are kind of like a smaller and dirtier train station. You can walk around and there's usually a food place and bathrooms. You just walk outside and find your new bus parked next to the station. The buses have numbers or signs on them saying where they are going. I think there's probably gonna be a help desk too. They might also have a screen with departures/arrivals and info. If you talk to your fellow riders, you may find somebody going the same direction and can follow them. I made bus friends. It was helpful to have somebody watch your stuff so you could sleep.

I've ridden greyhound a few times. Longest was from Atlanta to Chicago. Took 22 hours. Ugh. We also took a field trip on a charter bus for class and drove from Illinois to Canada, drove around Canada, then drove back. It was about uh...like 56 total hours on the same bus in 7 days.

Here are some tips:
-Watch your stuff when you transfer buses cause they just kinda pull your stuff off and stick it on the new bus. It's very ghetto and people can just stand around and hangout. I'm also paranoid and did not want my stuff to be in Nashville and me in Chicago. Or in some asshole's house. Do the thing were you tag your stuff with a brightly colored piece of fabric like a handkerchief on a handle or something similar.
-The times on my tickets didn't account for the time change, so the 1 am arrival and 2:15 am departure was really arrive at 2 am(local) and leave 15 minutes later.
-Sit in the front or middle so you don't have to deal with the toilet...unless that's like a thing for you.
-Bring a small lightweight backpack with some snacks, paper towels, and whatever entertainment you want. Water or drinks are a good thing. Fruits and some chips or something. I guess you could try bringing a travel pillow or something. Carry a small amount of cash and some change for a payphone.. Maybe a ten, two fives, and ten ones. This way you can use vending machines or give a bum a dollar if need be.
-Idk what the weather is gonna be like, so you might wana dress accordingly. The bus might be cold, so maybe stash a hoodie/sweater. You can use it as a pillow or blanket too. It might be hot too, so you might need to undress.
-People might talk to you. People may also try and sell you things.
-Poor people ride the bus. Sick people also ride the bus. So do newly released prisoners/soldiers and crazy people. Shady characters hang around bus stations. I saw a pimp in Nashville looking for fresh talent. How do I know he was a pimp? He had on a three piece purple suit, hat, and gators at 2am and no luggage. Be careful.
-Sleeping on a bus is horrible. You are going to feel like shit when you get to where you are going. You may also get sick. Drink plenty of fluids and maybe hit the vitamin C.

I've ridden the bus between Wichita and Dallas at least half a dozen times and this is good advice. I would definately advise a pillow and a jacket/blanket of some kind. If you have a window seat the AC blasts out of there and will make you cold.

SmokeStacks

Try to get in line for your transfers early though. Your goal is to get a window seat.

Bus seats aren't the most comfortable things to sit on for long periods of time, so if you have a period of time where it's going to be many hours before the bus stops again it's nice to be able to lean over onto the window and change position a bit.

The buses seem to get newer/nicer the farther east you go, so while Greyhound advertises that their buses have electrical outlets and wifi that's generally only the case with new buses, so bring a book for the times when your batteries are deader than the parents on Party of Five and you're stuck for six hours on a bus that was built during the Reagan administration. Most Greyhound stations should have an "outlet bar" somewhere where you can charge your phone/mp3 player/laptop/whatever.

Sitting in a cramped bus for two days with other people who have been sitting on a cramped bus is going to make you feel less than fresh. Bring some wetwipes. After a day on the bus, being able to wipe yourself down and change you clothes will make you feel a lot better.

Also, try and get off the bus as often as you can. You'll have a bunch of stops for food and whatnot, so stretch and walk around during those. Your ass will thank you.

I hope your move goes well.

Double_Chris

Thanks for the tips everyone. The move went well, except the last half of the trip. 'twas a nightmare.