Greyhound Bus Lines

Let’s start with what I am a fan of and what I am not. 2 stars to the place it self and the Bus 3 and a half stars. The washroom is quite clean but the locks on the stalls don’t want to give me privacy! But there is a special one that does. When it gets busy that special one cannot accomadate 5 people at once so that needs to be fixed. Enough about washrooms.
Online tickets are cheaper than in person. Knowing your stuff beforehand is for your own good. Service lacks most of the time. You will have your bags checked and sometimes aerosol are taken away or not, if you are lucky. My dry hair shampoo went through but another woman’s hairspray was confiscated. This all happens before you go into your designated number lines. One thing I know for sure in my experiences is the judgement on a person’s appearance. I would have my bag opened for security and nothing would be moved, it just looks «safe» and he moves on to the next person. As for the other person he/she’s bag would be fully inspected and the state of the bag is less than organized. They are dressed completely normal as well. Little do they know I could be dangerous.
My experience with the drivers have all been great but maybe creepy sometimes but they are never rude. Sometimes you will ride in the older buses so that means no wifi and no plugging outlets. An extra charger will be helpful. The toilet in the hound has no water so that might suck for Poo Pourri users. There is also no sink to wash your hands but hand sanitizer is provided. I also remember it can be difficult for non English speakers, they can be very confused and afraid when they have no guidance. If it isn’t too much to ask other Unilocalers, try helping them out if you think they need it!

I’m still a fan. The crazy murder drama won’t deter me as it is far less horrendous than a plane full of people being lost at sea. Greyhound has a great safety record as far as I know.
Stumbles? Times are changing and Greyhound is slipping in prestige because it’s so low key now. In branding. In updates and technology although I loved their wifi. It worked for me and I could plug in. Watched my own flicks and read my own books. But nonfunctional DVDs? Huh.
Strange that it seems they are experiencing atrophy, because when I’ve used them for a quick trip south the bus was packed. It’s rare that you find an empty seat on popular routes. As to the possibility of an aging fleet and cutbacks — service was so extensive that perhaps they were running too many routes?
I have been a fan since my teens, making almost weekly trips to the mountains for many years.
I even remember their advertisements!
More on why only a 3 (closer to 3.5 actually) when I am still a fan.
I’m okay with the tight seating and bus design, even the nasty bathroom is about par with what airlines get away with today. Just a difference in customer service these days that is noticeable, as in inconsistent. Not everyone seems to take that extra step of professional pride. Greyhound used to be «prestigious economy» with true service excellence. The ticket person was very pleasant and professional but getting on the bus at the Edmonton terminal I felt like I was part of a herd being rounded up by a couple of bored cowpokes using ushers poles and ropes. Haha.
Bottom line, you can’t beat the price and I still trust the drivers implicitly!

Well first of all I would like to say that my trio to San Francisco and back was relatively easy but the long delay I endured and the difference in times versus flying knock it down at least a star. Most people would have taken off 2 stars but most staff were helpful if not worrying and I’m a generous guy. First time riders not recommended to travel alone or low on cash. Otherwise give it a chance at least once but try not to travel any more than 2 day at a time since it will exhaust you.

Well it’s been a while since I took the bus anywhere. Including public tansit! I find edmonton is more of a drive yourself around city. As well I have been using Über a ton lately.
This long weekend when I found my car in the shop and needing to get to Calgary I did some shopping around. Flights were about $ 425 booking 4 days in advance. Red Arrow was $ 160 return, with some perks. And the greyhound was only $ 58! Quite a difference. For the sheer cost I wanted to try it out.
Bought online, quite easy and lots of times available. Apparently my bus was sold out when I arrived Friday but only 4 days earlier there were still spaces. They do a guaranteed seat as long as you arrive an hour early and pickup your ticket, so that’s a nice thing they didn’t used to do. Used to be first come, and you could get bumped. If you are worried about who you will sit with, try to meet some people in the waiting area and ask them in advance. Checked one free large suitcase. Not sure of limits but no charge for that one. They do weigh it though.
The efficiency and staff at the lineups was great. Very cheery. Took your bags, and they kept everyone in multiple lines and organized. Well done to the staff at boarding!
The bus was average. But the seats were a nice leather. I ended up #22 after the express reserved seat people so still got a good choice for seats on 2 busses of 104 seats. There were plug ins at each seat too which I didn’t think I would get. Wifi is free and I got about .45 megabit speeds up and down.
The only thing that was confusing was the ticketing and getting a seat etc, but it all worked out. Would definitely recommend this as a good alternative for the cost. The other thing was some may worry about the people on the bus. I thought there was great staff and security helping everyone out and most all people were normal. Nothing to worry about IMHO.

I’ll be nice about Greyhound since the end product turned out decent, but we left Edmonton to Calgary 30 minutes down due to the driver showing up 20 minutes late.
However, the line waiting portion was very efficient due to the customer service lady who was very social but attentive. Despite the bus arriving late, very few people were arguing as the lady was just so sweet and kind. Kinda impressive I must say.
The terminal itself, however, was kinda ghetto. I originally thought Toronto’s coach terminal was a bit sketchy, but this took it to the next level somewhat.

I used to take the bus quite a bit but I think since Greyhound has made service cutbacks to smaller communities the service has really gone downhill. When I still lived in Leduc I remember coming back from B. C and missing my connecting bus in Calgary due to a road accident near Revelstoke. When we got to Calgary I was informed that me and a few other passengers heading to Leduc could get on an Edmonton bound bus but the driver would not be able to drive right into Leduc. I still remember the «exhilarating» feeling of running across several lanes of traffic on the highway yanking my suitcase behind me.
It has been a couple years now and I made the trip downtown yesterday to purchase my first set of Greyhound tickets in quite some time for an upcoming trip to Calgary. The station itself is absolutely filthy and looks like it hasn’t seen an update since around the 70’s. The seats are those horribly uncomfortable straight backed plastic bucket seats and the station boasts an «express check in lounge» which is a roped off section of those oh so delightful plastic chairs.
The staff was pretty friendly and I genuinely pity these people having to work in an environment where the walls are covered in signs reminding people that verbal abuse of the staff is not tolerated and that drug and alcohol consumption in the bus depot is illegal. I have walked past the depot at night and noticed they have a security guard but I think it should be around the clock and not just in the evening time. I walked from City Center mall to the depot and even in that short walk I still felt unsafe. I got leers from guys hanging outside the dive bar and two guys sitting on the curb hollered at me for some change.
I definitely want to make sure that I include it in my review that you should NEVER buy your tickets at the depot. The price the guy gave me at the depot was twice what I saw it online and amusingly enough they even have handwritten photocopied cards someone at the depot made up with the website address to buy tickets online. I understand giving a small discount for advanced purchase, seniors, and students but people without credit cards or internet should not be punished with DOUBLE the fare. I am looking forward to my upcoming Calgary trip but this will be the last trip I make with Greyhound.

I used to take the Greyhound quite a bit, so made several trips to the downtown depot. It’s a pretty shady place. You need to watch your back and keep an eye on your belongings, because this depot is also a hang out for a lot of the city’s junkies.
I’ve seen what looks like drug deals go down here and it’s hard to relax here because there are so many strung out faces you just don’t know what could go down. There’s a security presence, but no one has thought to clean up this place and the surrounding block. There’s an A&W attached to the bus depot and I had the worst burger and fries ever here. They tasted like cardboard. I think the bun was actually stale. There’s a dive hotel and bar next to the A&W and a casino on the other side of 104, so it’s no wonder the Greyhound ended up as a hub of sorts for the desperate, shady and strung out.
As far as service goes, the ticket guys are fast and helpful and buses tend to leave right on time, in my experience. Line-​ups start up to 1 hour before departure. There’s a convenience store if you need to buy pop, snacks or a magazine for your trip and there are some public phones located in the lobby.

I have taken the Greyhound many times throughout my life. Mostly I have traveled between Edmonton and Castor or Lethbridge. A four-​hour ride isn’t so bad, but an eight-​hour ride is very tiring. Although the bus takes way longer than an airplane, I prefer it, because I am terrified of airplanes; not to mention, I can take the Greyhound for a considerable discount.
The Greyhound bus station is a sketchy area. I don’t usually feel that scared though, because I find there are enough workers and passengers around to make me feel safe. The scary things that have happened lately hasn’t deterred me from wanting to take the bus just because I feel like that’s such a rare occurrence. I am not crazy about sitting beside someone though. I have had a few unpleasant experiences, like the drunk guy who kept switching seats and trying to hit on women passengers, including me. I’ve also ridden a bus, where these guys were playing their boom box really loud, and it ended up in a big fight between them and the bus driver. I never had anyone that smelled really bad, but I did have someone who kept falling asleep and their head would fall on my shoulder – that was rather awkward.
I kind of like waiting at the bus station. I find it an exciting feeling. I’ll often go to the A & W and get some food before I go, or I’ll go to the convenience store to get a drink and some chips for the long ride. I’m so glad I have an ipod now, because I used to carry a discman with me, and batteries were so expensive at this store – anything is really. I can’t read very long on a moving bus, because it makes me sick, so I am usually listening to music or watching the free moving on the bus. I’ve never been lucky enough to watch a good movie – once it was Free Willy 2 and another time it was a very bad Dan Ackroyd movie. It’s annoying, when the players don’t work, and there is no movie at all, because a bad movie is better than no movie.
Coming home from this downtown station is a bit scary, because if I can’t get a ride, I usually have to walk to the nearest Edmonton City Centre entrance where the hotel is. Although this is a short walk, it can be a bit unnerving, because it’s very dark here at night, and I’ve encountered police arresting people or spats on more than one occasion.
The Greyhound is all right, because the price is good, but I think I’d rather get over my fear of flying. It just seems a bit safer, and the amount of time I would save by flying is definitely worth it.

I’ve been a loyal Greyhound patron over the past several years, even braving long bus rides from Vancouver to Edmonton. It’s not that I’m crazy, it’s just that I was a poor student. Believe me, if I could afford a plane ticket, that would be my choice all the time.
The good thing about Greyhound though, is that they rarely ever check your baggage weight. So if you’re a total pack rat like me, bringing every single belonging with you, you don’t have to freak out. They do charge for overweight baggage, just not as much as the airlines, and like I said, they barely ever check so it’s not like you’re going to be charged anyway. Makes you wonder why they have the fees at all.
Surprisingly, I’ve had pretty good luck on my Greyhound trips. I’ve heard people complain about sitting beside smelly passengers, but I haven’t had this experience yet. No one listening to loud music or sleeping and drooling next to me either. The only one time that stands out in my memory is one girl who talked a mile a minute the whole bus ride. I wasn’t really annoyed, more amazed because it didn’t seem like she stopped to breathe. But she was really sweet, so I didn’t mind. An elderly lady got stuck in the bathroom once too. I shouldn’t laugh, but it’s funny.
They used to play movies on their tv screens for passengers on the really long trips. I remember watching The Majestic and Harry Potter. Decent films. They haven’t been doing this recently, usually saying the vhs players don’t work anymore. They need to update a lot of their buses; some are as old as 10 years, I heard one bus driver say.
Unfortunately, what’s happened on the Greyhound in recent news (brutal murder and subsequent threat of) has scared me out of traveling with them, despite all my good experiences. I know those were just a couple of freak accidents, and the chances of them occurring again are slim, but I don’t want to take my chances. I’ll just save up and take the plane.

The Greyhound has gotten me where I need to go — most often to and from Calgary — numerous times over the years and despite the crummy things that can go on on buses, I’d still feel comfortable taking it short distances although likely not on a long haul or at any time when I’d be likely to fall asleep. It’s not just the scary news items (decapitations, obviously) that are a turnoff — I’ve been on buses where folks have had their electronics stolen when left momentarily unattended, and have watched spontaneous romances bloom between filthy young vagabonds that become super nasty in-​seat makeout sessions that are tough to ignore. I’ve been rudely shaken awake by patrons who, for some reason, really want to sit with ME despite there being empty seats all over the place, and twice gotten stranded far, far, far from home and had no choice but to endure painfully-​cramped 30-​hour rides back to familiar territory.
If you book 2 weeks in advance, you’ll receive a significant discount; ditto when you take advantage of their companion fares. Otherwise you’re almost better off flying.
As for the depot itself… it goes without saying that bus stations are primarily the territory of the destitute and the unusual, but travelers shouldn’t have any real problems as there are definitely worse areas of the city to be in. You’re central and just blocks away from Edmonton’s transportation mainlines (although that doesn’t necessarily say much). Stay out of the Richlieu Pub across the way — go for a root beer at the Greyhound A&W instead — and you’ll likely arrive at your destination unscathed.