I must admit upfront that I had all sorts of assumptions about Greyhound bus rides. But obviously I’m not the only one because bus trips have been the fodder for all sorts of terrifying movies in the past. Thus inspiring my very creative mind to conjure up more scenarios.
My husband was traveling in Spokane. I wanted to see him so I flew cross-country to Seattle for about $300 cheaper than flying into Spokane’s airport. My options were renting a car ($200 for 4 hours), $51 train ride that would take 8 hours, or a 5 hour bus ride for $45. So I chose the bus despite the nerves warring in my stomach.
I “checked in” to the station forty minutes before the bus departed without presenting any ID and they weighed my bag, presumably checking for dead bodies, as well as checked my carry on for prohibited objects. I was told to stand in line B to wait so I did. But ten minutes before the bus departed, I realized I should have been in line A. So I hurried over and asked. The man said they’d made an announcement which I must have missed leaving me standing in a line for a bus that was headed to Canada. I presented my ticket and got on the bus.
Naturally, everyone who was already on had chosen their own row in hopes of continuing to have their own row. So my choice was simple… don’t pick the wrong seatmate. I chose to sit next to another female who looked nice and it turned out she didn’t smell or talk endlessly. So I struck gold.
The guy 3 rows in front talked very loudly about nothing, seemingly doing it just so everyone would hear him. Lots of people around him told him to “shut up” in their various ways, but he didn’t so I was thankful I had earphones with me. People were very testy on the bus–quick to call out other people on behavior or to call the driver names because he wouldn’t let them off for a smoke.
Thankfully, however, despite some unsavory characters, I made it in one piece and nothing was stolen or ruined. The bus seats are nice with plenty of leg room. Each row has an outlet on the back of the seat in front of you. The air is on so it remains quite cool in the bus which also helps prevent motion sickness. And the bus offers free wi-fi which can be patchy depending on cell coverage in the area. I found it useful so I could work while I rode.
We stopped 2x’s. Once we weren’t allowed to get off because it was just a pickup/dropoff and the other we got a 20-minute break. The Greyhound bus waits for no man…or woman. So if you aren’t on board when it leaves, then too bad. They’ll contact you about your luggage when it gets to your destination without you. We did almost leave a woman behind, but she snagged the driver’s attention and got on quickly.
Overall, I’d say that the ride wasn’t bad. It just seemed really long. The seats were comfortable and there were only a few obnoxious people. The rest stayed quiet and slept or entertained themselves much like on an airplane or train ride. There were even a couple of kids on the ride by themselves so that was reassuring.
Would I do it again? Yes. I will do it again, but most likely never at night. It certainly was an adventure, not knowing what I was getting into. I would probably rather drive my car so that I had freedom to stop at places that looked cool along the way, but when cars are not feasible and flights are too expensive, buses are the way to go.
