by D. Raposa

Created on: February 03, 2009

Traveling by Greyhound bus is meant to be a cost-effective, comfortable way to travel. However, dealing with an organization that does not consider passenger comfort a priority, and being confined to a small seat surrounded by lots of people in various states of rudeness, can easily turn into a nightmare. Here are some strategies I employ to keep me sane and comfortable on long bus trips using Greyhound.

TOILET PAPER

It never fails that your bus and/or the bus station will not have any toilet paper. Bringing your own (which you are NOT to share with anyone) will make using the outrageously-small-and-hopefully-the-light-works-tod ay bathroom tolerable.

CONNECTIONS

Bus schedules are easily thrown off kilter due to heavy traffic, road accidents and breakdowns. Instead of providing express replacement buses, Greyhound ignores late buses completely, leaving passengers to wait for the next scheduled bus. Additionally, final connections will leave as scheduled no matter what, so bring a credit card or extra cash in case you are stranded overnight in a city that is not the one you intend to visit.

Be sure to let someone know where you are at every stop. Some Greyhound buses are still not equipped with properly working radios, which means that if the bus breaks down in the boonies, where there is no radio or cellphone service, the driver must rely on the kindness of strangers if he cannot find a payphone or cop. Additionally, you just might be dropped off to wait for a connection outside a CLOSED bus station (with no security), since Greyhound does not take its own depot hours into consideration when scheduling.

Lastly, the stop-and-go aspect of multiple bus connections (which habitually take place at ungodly hours) will mess with your sleep cycle, leaving you overtired and cranky. You will already be dealing with obnoxiously loud-mouthed fellow passengers - you do not need any added aggravation.

SEATING

As you board the bus, grab a seat on the left side. Traditionally, these seats have more leg room since the right side houses the bulky driver compartment.

Sitting for a long period of time, you should mark your territory from the get-go. Do not be afraid to speak up (or kick the seat) if the passenger in front of you has mistaken his/her seat for a chaise lounge or forgotten that only 1 seat has been bought.

While you may covet that extra-long backseat, leave it alone as it abuts the bathroom. While this is convenient for when you have to go, remember that the bathroom will not be cleaned for miles and not all passengers are considerately toilet-trained.

GREYHOUND AS A WHOLE

Greyhound will not compensate you in any way for lost time or unexpected expense, taking no responsibility for their product . If you experience a truly horrendous trip, feel free to outline your complaints in a terse letter to Greyhound Corporate. They will not respond, but hopefully you will feel a little better by putting your frustrations on paper.

Traveling on Greyhound is a decently-priced way to get to your destination, but it is not necessarily pleasant. Taking a bit of a commando-approach in dealing with passengers, the ride itself and the company can help make your journey a little more comfortable.

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