Anyone take the greyhound bus regularly?

[JHZR2]

Hi,

Im going to be spending the next 4 months in washington, DC. Given the costs of commuting, the traffic, etc., etc., to come up and see my GF in Phila., or my family in north NJ/ NE PA, Im considering that maybe the greyhound bus is a good deal. Amtrak is great, I love taking the train, but it can get expensive. For a leisurely weekend or extended weekend, it may be better to take the bus. From DC to philadelphia, for example (which is likely what Id do, so I could meet my GF and then drive home to my parent's place together), it is $43 round trip. By the time I pay the tunnel and Susquehanna bridge tolls, drive a car that gets 30 mpg, wear and tear, etc., etc., Its near break-even.

But Ive heard its not an experience that you want to encounter, if you can in any way avoid it.

Is the greyhound, or similar bus service really that bad? Mind you, Ill be a well-dressed professional, possibly in suit and tie.

Does anyone regularly take the greyhound, that they can comment? Ive never been on one, so I have no idea.

Thanks in advance,

JMH

 

[TallPaul]

I took a Greyhound bus from Detroit to Denver and back in the mid-1970s. I hated it because they delivered packages and took a lot of back roads. Shorter trips probably are fine. It didn't help that I lost my Cigarettes and had only $1 when I left Denver for home. Of course it may be totally different today. (BTW, quit the cigarettes in '79.)

 

[srivett]

Up here the Greyhounds have the seats packed close together. It is really uncomfortable and you can't open the windows. If you get a really smelly smoker sitting by you then it's gonna be a long trip. Trains can be as big as they want so room is pretty much unlimited when you take ViaRail.

Steve

 

[Chris142]

Greyhound sux! I rode one from Hudson,Wisconsin to Mesquite,Tx. Took 3 days because they stop at every little town. Then you gotta changes busses at all hours of the day and night.

The bathrooms smell up the bus and the whole bus stinks like B.O. cause theres no shower on it and ya the windows dont open.


Some of the ones I rode on still had 2-stroke diesels (1999 or so) and that screamin Demon was enough to drive a person insane.

 

[lewk]

I'd sugget you try a casino pkg with one of the tour bus companies.you could give the perks away to family or friends. this would be more pleasant and much more comfortable if you can work out the logistics.gambling is optional if you choose to stay in atlantic city for a time.assuming this puts you close enough to final destination

 

[OCB]

I would avoid it at all costs. That is not going to be a fun trip! Spend the money on the train!

 

[moribundman]

Greyhound, eh? You might be subject to the Law of the Road.

 

[Shannow]

I always found them OK when I was using them (like 15 years ago).

 

[oilyriser]

If taking the car costs roughly the same as taking the bus, you can choose based on which ride would be more enjoyable. If you can find one other peorson who wants to carpool with you, you can share the cost, and beat the bus company's price.

I've never used this site:

http://erideshare.com/

 

[kreigle]

Haven't been on Greyhound since the late 1980's when I rode them from Camp Lejeune, NC to York PA. I didn't think the ride was too bad then (12-14 hrs), and frequently there was a changeover stop around Raleigh. At the time it was roughly $90 round trip through the base transportation office. Later, I decided to fly up instead for $120-140 (and only 6 hrs travel time)

 

[Pablo]

Dunno about Greyhound - but thanks for the:

http://erideshare.com/

Link!

 

[Joe1]

It's not a bad ride from DC to Phila to NY...most are non-stop for such a short distance. I prefer Peter Pan bus (http://www.peterpanbus.com ) over greyhound from DC/Phila/NY as their busses are newer looking and appear to be better maintained than Greyhound...but thats just my opinion. i've ridden them from NY to Phila/Balt/DC on a few occasions

 

[Dominic]

I absolutely hate bus travel - car always over bus. Better ride, control of when to stop, what to eat, etc. Take the car!

 

[JHZR2]

Dominic, I agree for the most part, but for example, to go homne to north, NJ, there are tolls around baltimore, tolls over the susquehana river, tolls on the bridges into NJ, tolls on the turnpike, etc., etc.

It all adds up, on top of gas and whatnot. May be cheaper, and at least I dont have the headache of dealing with traffic jams, which is worth something...

JMH