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Taking the bus
i n c u b u s
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So to make my long distance relationship easier not only for us but for my wallet and car as well I've been considering taking a bus to go see her instead of driving myself. We've decided to see each other at least once a month alternating who goes to see who, I live in middle Alabama and she lives near Nashville TN. The drive itself is about 4-5 hours one way but my car has to last me the rest of my college career (the next 2 years) so making that trip so often would not only kill my car but my wallet with gas prices and what not. So this is where I need some advice, I've never taken a bus and the only one I'm aware of is Greyhound. Where can I purchase tickets and what are some discounts I can get? Any advice on the trip itself as far as does and don'ts? Is taking the bus a good idea in the first place?
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Expect the Greyhound trip to take 1 1/2 times to twice as long as driving. Good times to catch up on some reading.
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Satans..... hints.....
I don't know if where you live has an amtrak station, but could check them out. They run replacement buses that are basically greyhounds, but better scheduled.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Do go to the website, it's not bad. Look up the times your bus leaves, what the prices are, etc. Especially note whether or not it is an express run. They even list estimated times for how long your trip will take. Trips that normally hit rush hour traffic take longer.
Decide which bus you want, and write down the time and route number. It's usually something like 'schedule 1663 to Nashville, leaving at 4:55pm'.
It's also a good idea also have an alternative in case something goes wrong. Like if what you want is the express bus that leaves at 3:35, but you see that there's a local that runs at 4:25, you can take that one if you miss the express.
But don't buy your tix on the website. It'll cost you extra dollars and it won't save you any time. Instead, I always just buy them at the window day of. Get there early, you may end up standing in line for a bit.
But it's worth it to get there plenty early. Greyhound seating is first come, first served. So you want to be near the front of the line when that bus rolls up. I always went for a window seat, on the left as I am blind on my right side.
The front of the bus is bad because that is where families with screaming kids sit. The back is bad because that's where the bathroom is. The bathroom is smelly, especially on long trips. I always tried to sit in the middle.
Always have music to listen too, and a book. I used obvious cheap headphones and would leave them on even if my music was off, since I didn't want to talk to anyone most of the time.
And, well, its the freaking greyhound bus. Crazy things go down. I had one break down an hour out of Portland once, on a hot July day, and the ac ceases to work if the motor doesn't run.. yeah that was an adventure.
But it'll get you there. And it is longer than driving, but much cheaper. So there it is.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
As an aside, I took the bus out of necessity. If you have a car, then for god's sake drive it. A 4-5 hour drive, so we're talking maybe 300 miles or so, one-way? So worst case you're driving 600 miles a month? That's not that much at all. What year, model, mileage are we talking about here? Do you do regular maintenance?
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Is there a train from Montgomery to Nashville? (More specifically Murfeesboro)
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Also, get a little bit drunk before getting on if at all possible. Last time I took a Greyhound way back when, my buddy surreptitiously packed a Minutemaid-come-screwdriver in my backpack, and it made the trip much better. Obviously, use a little discretion.
I once thought it'd be a good idea to take the bus instead of flying from St. Louis to Toledo. So, to save a hundred dollars, I spent a frigid night cowering on a cold metal chair in the terminal--known affectionately as Purgatory--so overcrowded with the homeless and with 20-something drifters on a journey of self discovery that you could actually see the tuberculosis drift through the air. Then, in the morning, having somehow survived the battle royale to actually get on the fucking bus because, you know, buying a ticket doesn't actually gurantee you a seat, I celebrated my victory smushed against the window for six hours due a very, very large woman perspiring next to me. She actually spilled over onto my seat. When the large woman finally disembarked, my relief was only momentary as about a dozen felons in orange fucking jumpsuits got on. Later, the bus stopped at a Mcdonalds. I had the fish filet. I think the convicts just ate raw meat patties.
Flash foward 6 hours and I'm at the greyhound station in Toledo where even the awkward drive home with my recently divorced parents was goddamn bliss.
I mean, nothing terrible ever happens on Greyhound, does it?
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
The most blood curdling part for me is that nobody helped him. Because everyone on greyhound sucks.
Yea I'd call the cops but I sure as shit wouldn't get in front of the insane man with the knife.
http://www.komonews.com/news/36555829.html
Greyhound, not so much.
Nope!
Montgomery to Murfeesboro doesn't seem like that bad of a drive, though.
As for Greyhound, I used it to/from Atlanta a few times my freshman year of college when I was carless and I didn't get stabbed even once.
The Student Advantage card gives you a 15% discount, so after a year it can pay for itself.
What I would do, though, is figure out how much you will be spending on Greyhound tickets over the next year and see where that puts you.
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Just drive the car.
(Credentials: Rode from Omaha to Toronto. Somehow forgot that experience and rode it again from Omaha to Seattle for PAX)
If you're hell bent on not driving the car though, try to get routes that are run by subcontractors, it'll say a different line name like Jefferson Lines or Trailways or something. The subcontractor buses are better, and have on-bus movies shown.
When I rode from Omaha to Seattle it was like night and day between a subcontractor bus and an actual Greyhound.