Greyhound in the news

[traildriver]

32 minutes ago, ns8401 said:

Interesting thanks for the info. I wonder if the 1987 merger would have made any of the space in a joint terminal redundant? I know of a few around here that were closed and moved in the early-80s but largely those new buildings are also gone already replaced with city transit centers serving as stations mostly.

 

Here's one on the Cleveland Terminal which is of course still open for business but was sold for $1.7 Million earlier this week featuring some nice shots of it:

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/ohio/cleveland/greyhound-terminal-cle/

 

Additionally the one in Albany, New York has been sold in a significant step towards a new $82 Million transit center:

https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2023/01/25/albany-greyhound-bus-station-sold.html

It's behind a paywall sadly.

When Greyhound purchased Continental in 1987, one of the first fruits of the merger was just that…nationwide they combined into just one terminal, where they previously had two.

They would choose whichever was the “better”, based on different priorities. In the few joint terminals, they simply closed one or the other’s facilities, and repurposed them.

[ns8401]

A bus that had just departed Dallas, Texas bound for Monterrey, Mexico fatally struck a 55 year old homeless woman as she crossed the street in downtown Dallas. The driver reportedly could not see her. 60403 was the bus. 

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-crash-greyhound-bus-woman-killed/287-869193b9-ca45-45cd-8c3d-a8f3a8ddddd5

[Megabus Rider]

On 1/25/2023 at 5:29 PM, traildriver said:

Not trying to make excuses for Greyhound, but at certain times of the year they bring in “supplementary” drivers from far off locations, on temporary assignments in NYC.  These drivers are often totally unfamiliar with the routes they are assigned, and are issued a paper “route guide”, and sent on their way…

 

 

This is why Ourbus has the Driver's app which directs the Driver to the next stop and tells the Driver the passenger count on who is getting on and off the bus. Not to inflate Ourbus on here but even a Monkey can use the Driver's app and the Passengers would give the Monkey and Ourbus a 5 start review. The Ourbus Driver's app works both ways where the passengers can track the bus real time. It goes to show how far behind Greyhound is but I guess Flixbus will get Greyhound at par with Ourbus. I am not sure if Megabus uses a Driver's App since they have added a number of contractors lately.

[ns8401]

41 minutes ago, Megabus Rider said:

This is why Ourbus has the Driver's app which directs the Driver to the next stop and tells the Driver the passenger count on who is getting on and off the bus. Not to inflate Ourbus on here but even a Monkey can use the Driver's app and the Passengers would give the Monkey and Ourbus a 5 start review. The Ourbus Driver's app works both ways where the passengers can track the bus real time. It goes to show how far behind Greyhound is but I guess Flixbus will get Greyhound at par with Ourbus. I am not sure if Megabus uses a Driver's App since they have added a number of contractors lately.

Uh… all the different drivers apps show passenger counts at each stop. Having the directions on the driver app is cool unless you work for a company like mine where looking at a phone even in GPS mode is potentially termination. Paper directions work just fine and having directions in an app is not some messiah level epiphany. The major companies Megabus has added lately are NOT contractors anyways… they are giving Megabus 5 seats or so on each of their runs. Huge difference.

[traildriver]

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer the days when drivers were required to learn the routes thoroughly, first riding on them and taking notes, followed by driving them under the guidance of an experienced driver before being qualified to operate them on their own.

 

Didn’t Megabus lose the roof of a TD-925 near Syracuse several years ago because a driver was following his GPS directions?

Even though there are now GPS programs for commercial vehicles that account for tight clearances, I would still prefer to know my route before hand…

[ns8401]

23 minutes ago, traildriver said:

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer the days when drivers were required to learn the routes thoroughly, first riding on them and taking notes, followed by driving them under the guidance of an experienced driver before being qualified to operate them on their own.

 

Didn’t Megabus lose the roof of a TD-925 near Syracuse several years ago because a driver was following his GPS directions?

Even though there are now GPS programs for commercial vehicles that account for tight clearances, I would still prefer to know my route before hand…

Sounds about right. We still do lots of break in runs and make them take notes and everything. When I got my first distance overnight run I went unpaid from one end of the run to the other with somebody who had been there 30 years and wrote it all down. Never had a hiccup because I had directions AND all the nuances to look out for. 

[Megabus Rider]

On 2/1/2023 at 12:05 AM, ns8401 said:

Uh… all the different drivers apps show passenger counts at each stop. Having the directions on the driver app is cool unless you work for a company like mine where looking at a phone even in GPS mode is potentially termination. Paper directions work just fine and having directions in an app is not some messiah level epiphany. The major companies Megabus has added lately are NOT contractors anyways… they are giving Megabus 5 seats or so on each of their runs. Huge difference.

I am familiar with Greyhound's no GPS and phone policy but perhaps they need to review that when you send a Driver from Texas to NYC and has no clue where the stops are. I am certain Google Maps is no help for Ridgewood, NJ stop and certaintly Ourbus' Fort Lee stop since its just a Bus Shelter on the side of a highway.

[ns8401]

40 minutes ago, Megabus Rider said:

I am familiar with Greyhound's no GPS and phone policy but perhaps they need to review that when you send a Driver from Texas to NYC and has no clue where the stops are. I am certain Google Maps is no help for Ridgewood, NJ stop and certaintly Ourbus' Fort Lee stop since its just a Bus Shelter on the side of a highway.

That’s why we have paper route guides. The no phones policy is for safety and also insurance reasons. Legally you can be hands free but the law is a minimum not a maximum. Companies are free to go above and beyond. Frankly lots of companies have drivers that listen to music on an EarPod or talk endlessly on the phone while in service. It looks horrendous and it’s terrible service.

[Megabus Rider]

2 hours ago, ns8401 said:

That’s why we have paper route guides. The no phones policy is for safety and also insurance reasons. Legally you can be hands free but the law is a minimum not a maximum. Companies are free to go above and beyond. Frankly lots of companies have drivers that listen to music on an EarPod or talk endlessly on the phone while in service. It looks horrendous and it’s terrible service.

I will agree, there have been complaints with Ourbus about Drivers doing that. Not all contractors are consistent. Example: My Friend puts a smart phone in each bus with the Ourbus Driver's App and Samsara. The phone is mounted right of the Driver so even the passengers can see the phone. Other contractors make the Driver's use their own phone or tablet for the job and yes some would watch football games while driving. The Drivers for Fitzgerald Brothers (they do the Buffalo - NYC portion of the Toronto - NYC run) use their own phone or tablets.

[ns8401]

38 minutes ago, Megabus Rider said:

I will agree, there have been complaints with Ourbus about Drivers doing that. Not all contractors are consistent. Example: My Friend puts a smart phone in each bus with the Ourbus Driver's App and Samsara. The phone is mounted right of the Driver so even the passengers can see the phone. Other contractors make the Driver's use their own phone or tablet for the job and yes some would watch football games while driving. The Drivers for Fitzgerald Brothers (they do the Buffalo - NYC portion of the Toronto - NYC run) use their own phone or tablets.

I’ve been fairly patient but…

Have you ever driven a bus and gotten to experience all that comes with the job? Or do you just talk to your friend? Because for my money most of these contractors are generally fly by night folks with a couple drivers and buses. It’s nothing to get head over heels in love with. Most of the ones I’ve seen are an absolute joke. And if you’re gonna navigate using an app and have no knowledge of what to do… that’s just poorly thought out.

Am I supposed to be impressed about the contractors being so crappy that they can’t properly police their drivers? What you are describing is downright dangerous and borderline illegal. And you keep coming in the GREYHOUND forum telling us this is the new way it is and look how wonderful it is and haha look at that outdated intercity model these new guys do it so much better…. They can’t hold a candle to any of the traditional companies. The drivers are subpar at best. The curbside service is an atrocious idea that leaves their customers out in the elements…. On and on the list goes. If you’re in the GREYHOUND forum and your only frame of reference is your buddy who does OURBUS that’s a problem. It’s like going on the Ford forum and talking about your buddy the Chevy dealer and his experience with Malibu’s. An occasional thing is cool I suppose but 100% of your posts are about that way.

[Megabus Rider]

10 hours ago, ns8401 said:

I’ve been fairly patient but…

Have you ever driven a bus and gotten to experience all that comes with the job? Or do you just talk to your friend? Because for my money most of these contractors are generally fly by night folks with a couple drivers and buses. It’s nothing to get head over heels in love with. Most of the ones I’ve seen are an absolute joke. And if you’re gonna navigate using an app and have no knowledge of what to do… that’s just poorly thought out.

Am I supposed to be impressed about the contractors being so crappy that they can’t properly police their drivers? What you are describing is downright dangerous and borderline illegal. And you keep coming in the GREYHOUND forum telling us this is the new way it is and look how wonderful it is and haha look at that outdated intercity model these new guys do it so much better…. They can’t hold a candle to any of the traditional companies. The drivers are subpar at best. The curbside service is an atrocious idea that leaves their customers out in the elements…. On and on the list goes. If you’re in the GREYHOUND forum and your only frame of reference is your buddy who does OURBUS that’s a problem. It’s like going on the Ford forum and talking about your buddy the Chevy dealer and his experience with Malibu’s. An occasional thing is cool I suppose but 100% of your posts are about that way.

To be honest if you are raged because I keep mentioning change in the industry but you seem to say Greyhound is the way of the future, you are misinformed. I have supported the reasons why I believe there is change going on including providing reports from individuals who know more about the industry than all of us Geeks combined. It's one thing to work for Greyhound and talk with Management but its another when there are individuals who devote their time in talking to all the Company heads, researching statistics and publishing a report which the American Bus Association passes on to their members. At the end of the day you're just a Driver and nothing more. I am myself a Driver but I am not gonna go and push a narrative without ignoring facts that the industry is changing. I provide insights from my friend who owns his OWN Company and he feels that the industry is changing and has provided the same facts that I have shared. Why would a Driver like me argue over someone who OWNS is own Company? When does the Student become that Teacher when they remain a Student?

I respect your views and you are welcome to disagree with mine. I have provided facts but if the facts are 'cute' to you that's your view and I have to respect that.

Yes Flixbus, Ourbus and now Megabus are not operating traditionally but maybe that's what the people want. Why is it Coach USA and Greyhound had to be sold to new owners? Why is Greyhound still selling real estate like they got money trouble of a retail store? Ask yourself these questions and figure out why Flixbus and Ourbus have grown very fast since they been operating in the US, and why Megabus is changing on how they do business.

To be honest, I am not sure why you are going to bus world. There is a reason why Company heads attend conventions and not Drivers. That's why I don't attend these conventions, I am just a Driver. Want to talk about being patient, here is mine, keep the change.

[ns8401]

49 minutes ago, Megabus Rider said:

To be honest if you are raged because I keep mentioning change in the industry but you seem to say Greyhound is the way of the future, you are misinformed. I have supported the reasons why I believe there is change going on including providing reports from individuals who know more about the industry than all of us Geeks combined. It's one thing to work for Greyhound and talk with Management but its another when there are individuals who devote their time in talking to all the Company heads, researching statistics and publishing a report which the American Bus Association passes on to their members. At the end of the day you're just a Driver and nothing more. I am myself a Driver but I am not gonna go and push a narrative without ignoring facts that the industry is changing. I provide insights from my friend who owns his OWN Company and he feels that the industry is changing and has provided the same facts that I have shared. Why would a Driver like me argue over someone who OWNS is own Company? When does the Student become that Teacher when they remain a Student?

I respect your views and you are welcome to disagree with mine. I have provided facts but if the facts are 'cute' to you that's your view and I have to respect that.

Yes Flixbus, Ourbus and now Megabus are not operating traditionally but maybe that's what the people want. Why is it Coach USA and Greyhound had to be sold to new owners? Why is Greyhound still selling real estate like they got money trouble of a retail store? Ask yourself these questions and figure out why Flixbus and Ourbus have grown very fast since they been operating in the US, and why Megabus is changing on how they do business.

To be honest, I am not sure why you are going to bus world. There is a reason why Company heads attend conventions and not Drivers. That's why I don't attend these conventions, I am just a Driver. Want to talk about being patient, here is mine, keep the change.

I’ll respond in full later but the bus world site specifically mentions BUS AND COACH DRIVERS under “Who should attend?” So I am therefore going mostly to see the buses. There are a few talks I want to go to as well. I may be “just a driver” but I have done extensive research and asked a lot of questions about how things work. I am well informed. Oh and I don’t work for Greyhound and take suggestion that I do as an insult, not so much by you as you’re under the wrong impression but I correct passengers on that frequently. Like I stop what I’m doing and address it. I work for one of the connecting carriers. I would NEVER work for that train wreck. I have higher standards for service and equipment than that.

[ns8401]

10 hours ago, Megabus Rider said:

To be honest if you are raged because I keep mentioning change in the industry but you seem to say Greyhound is the way of the future, you are misinformed. I have supported the reasons why I believe there is change going on including providing reports from individuals who know more about the industry than all of us Geeks combined. It's one thing to work for Greyhound and talk with Management but its another when there are individuals who devote their time in talking to all the Company heads, researching statistics and publishing a report which the American Bus Association passes on to their members. At the end of the day you're just a Driver and nothing more. I am myself a Driver but I am not gonna go and push a narrative without ignoring facts that the industry is changing. I provide insights from my friend who owns his OWN Company and he feels that the industry is changing and has provided the same facts that I have shared. Why would a Driver like me argue over someone who OWNS is own Company? When does the Student become that Teacher when they remain a Student?

I respect your views and you are welcome to disagree with mine. I have provided facts but if the facts are 'cute' to you that's your view and I have to respect that.

Yes Flixbus, Ourbus and now Megabus are not operating traditionally but maybe that's what the people want. Why is it Coach USA and Greyhound had to be sold to new owners? Why is Greyhound still selling real estate like they got money trouble of a retail store? Ask yourself these questions and figure out why Flixbus and Ourbus have grown very fast since they been operating in the US, and why Megabus is changing on how they do business.

To be honest, I am not sure why you are going to bus world. There is a reason why Company heads attend conventions and not Drivers. That's why I don't attend these conventions, I am just a Driver. Want to talk about being patient, here is mine, keep the change.

Well.. a few things. Greyhound isn't selling real estate. First Group retained all of that and they have now unloaded it to a different company. FLIX only got the buses and the drivers and leases until 2024 on all those properties, some of which they are exiting early if the new owners find someone to redevelop it. Greyhound fell on hard times because they have been continuously mismanaged since they were bought by Laidlaw in 1998. The customer service issues were off and on even before that dating to the mid 1970's in some instances. First Group as a whole has been having a lot of trouble and they needed to generate cash. Greyhound was something their CEO in 2007 decided to keep over everybody else's objections when Laidlaw was purchased.

 

Coach USA was hit hard during the pandemic but what they were doing before with Megabus didn't work very well as exemplified in their abandoning numerous routes in years leading up to covid. 

Megabus is changing to a ticket reseller model because they are apparently giving up on running routes of their own full bore. Remember the whole thing was bought by venture capital folks. If they can make money reselling tickets they'll do that before they run routes all over the place. I had the chance to ask a Miller driver if he had seen any Megabus tickets yet. Apparently they have been given no instruction on what to do with them and Miller doesn't have ticket scanners and whatever the person had didn't look much like a ticket. In the envelope it went. Not exactly a great sounding start with absolutely no way to verify the ticket is real or right and drivers with no idea what they are looking at. Hooray? I guess...

[Rapidbus]

13 hours ago, Megabus Rider said:

To be honest if you are raged because I keep mentioning change in the industry but you seem to say Greyhound is the way of the future, you are misinformed. I have supported the reasons why I believe there is change going on including providing reports from individuals who know more about the industry than all of us Geeks combined. It's one thing to work for Greyhound and talk with Management but its another when there are individuals who devote their time in talking to all the Company heads, researching statistics and publishing a report which the American Bus Association passes on to their members. At the end of the day you're just a Driver and nothing more. I am myself a Driver but I am not gonna go and push a narrative without ignoring facts that the industry is changing. I provide insights from my friend who owns his OWN Company and he feels that the industry is changing and has provided the same facts that I have shared. Why would a Driver like me argue over someone who OWNS is own Company? When does the Student become that Teacher when they remain a Student?

I respect your views and you are welcome to disagree with mine. I have provided facts but if the facts are 'cute' to you that's your view and I have to respect that.

Yes Flixbus, Ourbus and now Megabus are not operating traditionally but maybe that's what the people want. Why is it Coach USA and Greyhound had to be sold to new owners? Why is Greyhound still selling real estate like they got money trouble of a retail store? Ask yourself these questions and figure out why Flixbus and Ourbus have grown very fast since they been operating in the US, and why Megabus is changing on how they do business.

To be honest, I am not sure why you are going to bus world. There is a reason why Company heads attend conventions and not Drivers. That's why I don't attend these conventions, I am just a Driver. Want to talk about being patient, here is mine, keep the change.

At the end of the day, a bus company carries passengers from point A - C, whether direct or via B. 

Flixbus/Ourbus/Megabus survives in markets with significant point - point traffic. NY - DC , NY - Boston. Most carrier including Greyhound would probably make a profit running a bus on this corridor. If the focus is to abandon bus service in the rest of the country, this is the new trend. But the new trend doesn't work for the rest of the country.

The rest of the country, there are not enough demand between A - C, but if you have passengers from B connecting to go to point A or C you may have enough to fill a bus, this is where the network and transfers are extremely important. Breaking a transfer can mean that passengers will get rerouted thousands mile out of the way or make the trip impossible.

There is no way FB/MB/OB model will work outside of major cities. There is simply not enough demand. Especially MB and OB which doesn't seem to even try to make connections with their new partners, or sometimes even their own routes

But there are technological upgrade FB can definitely bring to greyhound, (passenger notification for one) so I'm optimistically hoping GH becomes the best of both worlds.

2 hours ago, ns8401 said:

Megabus is changing to a ticket reseller model because they are apparently giving up on running routes of their own full bore. Remember the whole thing was bought by venture capital folks. If they can make money reselling tickets they'll do that before they run routes all over the place. I had the chance to ask a Miller driver if he had seen any Megabus tickets yet. Apparently they have been given no instruction on what to do with them and Miller doesn't have ticket scanners and whatever the person had didn't look much like a ticket. In the envelope it went. Not exactly a great sounding start with absolutely no way to verify the ticket is real or right and drivers with no idea what they are looking at. Hooray? I guess...

You technically don't even need to print out a ticket for Megabus. So it can't even go into the envelope. They'll just have to write the number down.

Megabus did bring fares down in the major markets it did operate, and I do miss them for that. But seems like they are more expensive than GH now for some markets post COVID

On 2/1/2023 at 8:04 AM, traildriver said:

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer the days when drivers were required to learn the routes thoroughly, first riding on them and taking notes, followed by driving them under the guidance of an experienced driver before being qualified to operate them on their own.

 

Didn’t Megabus lose the roof of a TD-925 near Syracuse several years ago because a driver was following his GPS directions?

Even though there are now GPS programs for commercial vehicles that account for tight clearances, I would still prefer to know my route before hand…

Unfortunately under this economy, where driver turnover is very very quick, I don't believe it is cost efficient anymore to give the type of training companies like GH used to give it's drivers in the 70's and 80's. You would train someone, they would work for say two - three month and go on to be a truck driver or something else, and a new class will have to come in to replace he/she. I mean they need to offer $10,000 as a sign up bonus yet they still can't fill all it's run

[traildriver]

14 hours ago, Rapidbus said:

Unfortunately under this economy, where driver turnover is very very quick, I don't believe it is cost efficient anymore to give the type of training companies like GH used to give it's drivers in the 70's and 80's. You would train someone, they would work for say two - three month and go on to be a truck driver or something else, and a new class will have to come in to replace he/she. I mean they need to offer $10,000 as a sign up bonus yet they still can't fill all it's run

And why is this?

I’ll repeat what I’ve said before…it is partially because of deregulation.

Under regulation, carriers were protected from cut-throat competition from “fly-by-night” operators on lucrative routes, and in return were required to maintain service on branch routes as cross-subsidization.  In addition, fares  were at “fair” level, charged by distance rather than market supply and demand.  The number of minimum schedules on a route were also regulated.  Where there was very heavy traffic on a route, a competing carrier was allowed entry, either on same or parallel route.  Fares were the same, and competition was by equipment or service level offered.

Under this system, carriers could afford to offer excellent compensation and benefits to drivers, mechanics, terminal, and administrative personnel.  And no need for taxpayer subsidies.

They could also be very selective in recruiting and retaining the very best help.  At one time, being a Greyhound driver was considered to be the most prestigious professional driving position.

 

[ns8401]

11 hours ago, traildriver said:

And why is this?

I’ll repeat what I’ve said before…it is partially because of deregulation.

Under regulation, carriers were protected from cut-throat competition from “fly-by-night” operators on lucrative routes, and in return were required to maintain service on branch routes as cross-subsidization.  In addition, fares  were at “fair” level, charged by distance rather than market supply and demand.  The number of minimum schedules on a route were also regulated.  Where there was very heavy traffic on a route, a competing carrier was allowed entry, either on same or parallel route.  Fares were the same, and competition was by equipment or service level offered.

Under this system, carriers could afford to offer excellent compensation and benefits to drivers, mechanics, terminal, and administrative personnel.  And no need for taxpayer subsidies.

They could also be very selective in recruiting and retaining the very best help.  At one time, being a Greyhound driver was considered to be the most prestigious professional driving position.

 

In reading through old articles from the time I keep seeing mention of crime and physical deterioration at stations and schedules not being met because drivers were quitting. And that was 1987. Was Greyhound having these kinds of issues going that far back and stuck in a spiral when the Greyhound Corporation (later Dial) still had the company? I know I have read sporadic reports of issues as early as 1975 regarding customer service and terminal condition. I wonder how much neglect from the parent corporation diversifying (Armour Meats and Dial among others) and later all but ignoring the bus business and then both strikes (1983 and 1990) compounded the effects of deregulation?

Some perspective on just how devastating this combination of factors really was... I was just reading an interesting 1988 article on Fred Currey on his buyout of Greyhound and then the subsequent merger with Trailways. They had 12,000 stops just after the merger. That number is now quoted at 1900. The also had 2200 total company terminals some owned and some leased. When the real estate was sold last year the quoted number was somewhere around 200. They had 6300 drivers at the time of the 1990 strike. That number is more like 1000 or less now. Those numbers are mind blowingly staggering. 

Interesting reading incidentally. Fred Currey really screwed up by paying 3x the value of Greyhound, getting almost no assets (Dial kept the prime real estate) and 500 or so of the oldest buses that happened to still be owned. He was badly over leveraged. It seems he may even have regretted getting involved at all. Merging Trailways into it doesn't sound like it helped tremendously given how weak they were at the end. They had hopes things would turn around when the article was written... but their total passenger miles had dropped from 12 Billion in 1979 to 6 Billion in 1987. Half in 8 years is incredible. It looks like they got it to maybe 7 or 8 Billion by the time the strike happened. Passenger traffic from the combined totals of Trailways and Greyhound dropped from 77.7 million passengers in 1979 to 60.5 Million in 1983 and a staggering 37.9 million in 1986. It did tick up slightly to 40.6 million in 1987 but that's still an incredible drop in such a short period. The employees were forced to take pay cuts of 20% (1983) and 19% (1987). Many drivers quit as a result in the wake of both of those cuts.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-17-fi-9828-story.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-03-05-8903240630-story.html

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/driven-to-madness-6412362

That last one is from 1990 and is a write-up on a striking driver and his struggles because of the pay cuts and general cost cutting. Things went downhill in quick fashion.  

[traildriver]

Agreed…the decline was painful to experience.

In the late 60’s, when I started, Greyhound had about 6,000 coaches in its fleet.  Continental Trailways alone had 2,300.  And the rest of the Trailways carriers brought the number up to almost 3,000.  Compare that to today…

 

Air deregulation brought the low cost carriers, like People Express, that took away much of the long distance market.

 

And yes, the Corporation did indeed siphon off the bus revenue, and invest it into more lucrative ventures.   Similar to what Penn Central did to its railroad.

[ns8401]

On 2/5/2023 at 10:44 AM, traildriver said:

Agreed…the decline was painful to experience.

In the late 60’s, when I started, Greyhound had about 6,000 coaches in its fleet.  Continental Trailways alone had 2,300.  And the rest of the Trailways carriers brought the number up to almost 3,000.  Compare that to today…

 

Air deregulation brought the low cost carriers, like People Express, that took away much of the long distance market.

 

And yes, the Corporation did indeed siphon off the bus revenue, and invest it into more lucrative ventures.   Similar to what Penn Central did to its railroad.

The way things are now feels like Penn Central right at the end before Conrail started righting the ship. 
 

Bostons Garage and storage lot will be redeveloped soon. Greyhound has a short term lease on it for now.

https://bankerandtradesman.com/southie-greyhound-property-sold-to-ct-developer/

 

The Long disused (20 years or better) station in Kilgore, Texas is getting some renovations and safety upgrades. It had suffered a fire in 2016. Is this an old Trailways Building?

https://www.kilgorenewsherald.com/news/kilgore-approves-11-000-grant-for-safety-upgrades-at-former-greyhound-bus-station/article_d471a0ee-a6fd-11ed-b1e5-73725f8efd3d.html

[traildriver]

6 hours ago, ns8401 said:

Is this an old Trailways Building?

Pretty confident it would be, based on this route map of what became Continental Dixie Lines…

https://www.chicagorailfan.com/greycdmc.html

[ns8401]

Quote

 

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ohio – "There's not much to it, is there?'' mused Leon Mims as he surveyed the cold, wind-swept suburban lot that now serves as Greater Cincinnati's bus station.

Like throngs of Greyhound travelers who arrive and depart from Cincinnati every day, Mims, 64, discovered his trip to Alabama earlier this month would begin from a barren lot along an isolated stretch of Galbraith Road, far removed from a convenience store, restaurant or even a gas station.

Mims, who regularly uses Greyhound to get from city to city, longed for the old station downtown on Gilbert Avenue that was sold to a developer for $4.25 million and now stands abandoned.

"It was a big, nice building downtown,'' said Mims, a construction worker. "There were chairs everywhere, a little snack bar, vending machines, phone charging stations...ain't none of that here.''

As it has in other cities such as Louisville and Denver, Greyhound - the nation's largest intercity bus company - moved its downtown Cincinnati station outside the city last November to a small village nestled between northbound and southbound I-75.

A trailer is being used as a ticketing and waiting area for passengers with seating inside and two restrooms but not much more. The trailer is open from 12:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

There's a bench where passengers can wait outside, but there are no outdoor shelters, or portable toilets.

Patrick Varnado, 56, said he booked his trip from Chicago to Knoxville, Tennessee on a day when he knew he'd have a midday layover in Cincinnati.

"What was I going to do?'' Varnado asked incredulously about the prospect of being stuck outside if he arrived after the trailer closed. "I don't know anybody here.''

Greyhound is working to expand service hours and amenities at the site, a spokesman said in an email.

In the meantime, the lack of amenities and service is creating problems for at least one nearby business.

SunSpot Pool & Patio, which sits just west of the Greyhound station on Elliott Avenue, has posted "no loitering" and "no restrooms" signs on the front door to ward off bus passengers, Jeremy Howe, a sales associate, told The Enquirer.

"We have been asked (by passengers) if we are a restaurant, if we sell anything, if they can just sit in there and relax and stay warm," Howe said. "We've had things stolen already. It's just a constant headache."

Howe said small lawn and garden items left outside on display began to disappear after the bus station opened.

The business also put locks on its outdoor electrical outlets because Greyhound passengers were using them to charge their cell phones, he said.

Calls to Arlington Heights Mayor Steve Crase to gauge the extent of problems associated with the Greyhound station were not immediately returned.

Greyhound was quick to point out that the new station is a temporary setup.

The company has signed a long-term lease on the property at 398 E. Galbraith Road and will announce plans for a permanent facility there "in the near future,'' Sean Hanft, a Greyhound spokesman, said in an email.

"Despite being in a period of transition between our former downtown location to our new station at 398 E. Galbraith Road, Greyhound is committed to maintaining service to Cincinnati and giving people as many transportation options as possible," the company said in a statement.

Greyhound, which serves 16 million people annually nationwide, has maintained the same volume of schedules and connections to Cincinnati from its new location even during the transition from downtown, Hanft said.

Greyhound and its partner, Barons Bus Lines, run 15 routes from the new station that start or end in Cincinnati each day with connections to cities across the country, according to the company.

 

Relevant snippet from a news article in the Cincinnati Enquirer on the issues at the temporary facility in a suburb that they are sharing with Barons Bus. 

[ns8401]

The station in Chicago has been marketed for redevelopment by Twenty Lake... The proposal is for high rises to be built there. Union Station here we come. The 88,000 square foot building opened in 1989 and the lease on it expires in 2024.

Their Chicago garage on Goose Island closed on January 30th and a new leased facility at a place that has a heliport and nightmarish traffic control via radio and traffic lights because you drive across the helipads opened in its place. They have a specific route and gate when navigating and entering/leaving the place.

[Tcmetro]

Well, it was going to happen sooner or later.

Chicago doesn't have any real downtown transit centers like a lot of other cities. I'd imagine Greyhound will probably end up operating out of 95th/Dan Ryan or Cumberland.

Going curbside in Chicago would be crazy and I don't think the city would be happy with the volume. Although, Megabus was able to do it until they pulled out of the market...

[ns8401]

9 hours ago, Tcmetro said:

Well, it was going to happen sooner or later.

Chicago doesn't have any real downtown transit centers like a lot of other cities. I'd imagine Greyhound will probably end up operating out of 95th/Dan Ryan or Cumberland.

Going curbside in Chicago would be crazy and I don't think the city would be happy with the volume. Although, Megabus was able to do it until they pulled out of the market...

I’ve never been to Cumberland… 95th is a place I wouldn’t be caught in broad daylight at. 

[ns8401]

Another day… another station closes this time the station in Tampa, Florida. They closed it on January 31 and moved the ticket window to a restaurant. The stop is a block away from the building. The area is pretty sketchy.

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/tampa-greyhound-bus-station-relocates-to-parking-lot-concerning-bus-riders?_amp=true
 

For whatever it’s worth here’s what the old station looked like:

 

[ns8401]

Tampa... Day 2:

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/greyhound-bus-riders-continue-to-raise-concerns-over-new-pickup-and-drop-off-location

 

This photo of people lined up on the curb literally under an overpass says it all:

When they said "we're under an overpass waiting for the bus" I thought it was maybe behind them or right over to the side... I didn't realize it was that bad.