Which is better? Greyhound or Indian Trails?

Greyhound. Perhaps the most dreaded mode of transport, yet it plays an undeniable role in the American culture. We recently had our first trip on Greyhound, which we combined with Michigan-based company Indian Trails to travel from Grand Rapids, MI to Chicago IL. Which coach company delivered a better product? Find out in our final evaluation!
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[@IamTheHolypumpkin]

The bus driver on the Indian trail sounds like a very happy person. A very pleasant voice to listen to.

[@carlossmith4004]

Thanks for the honest review. I was the greyhound driver in this video. Glad you enjoyed the ride.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you! I honestly had no complaints about you, I can tell you do your job well. And, when ya gotta go, ya gotta go…

[@terrencewalker1982]

As a former Greyhound bus driver, I'm glad you enjoy your ride on the bus so far but i never rode the Indian Trails bus before and the legroom looks great. I have friends that are 6 foot 2 and she tells me that Greyhound legroom seats are very uncomfortable so she likes to fly or take Amtrak. I would drive out of Cincinnati, Ohio to other states to the east coast and southern. Thank you for sharing your pros and cons Thom and some of their employees of Greyhound could be extremely rude because you ask him not to call you ma'am and he does it again, unacceptable behavior. I'm very respectful to all my passengers but some i had to kick off.

[@delibakerytravel]

The First Bus Driver Seem To Be A Good Guy. I am really enjoying your channel.I am much older, and it seems Greyhound has not changed much. I did see a company from Europe bought them. Hopefully after all these years things might improve. Sadly many Americans think taking a bus makes you a second-class citizen. And that is just wrong and sad. Keep up your fun work and Happy Traveling.🌴

[@Thom-TRA]

I agree that the stereotypes are wrong and discouraging. I am encouraged, however, that you enjoy the videos. Thanks for commenting!

[@troybellamy4615]

Greyhound has been European owned for the last 20 years or so previously Greyhound was owned by Scottish based first group! first group was the one who has implement the most major changes in the last 15 years!

[@poorlittlebiker6476]

I drive for Greyhound, and all I can say is I try to control what I can. I’m patient with my passengers, make announcements, help with luggage, come to work looking like I didn’t just roll out of bed, and drive as if I still have my instructors staring at me 😅. Greyhound is partnered (don’t know if that means bought out or actually partnered) with flixbus, and I think a lot of Greyhound terminals are closing, which I can’t complain, the stations where Greyhound shares space with other transit and union stations look so much nicer- like little time capsules of what once was. Glad you’re experience was…..I’m glad you made it to where you were going 😂

[@Thom-TRA]

I really appreciate the hard work that you do! I hope I didn’t come across as dismissive or generalizing

[@balazs2000]

Yes, Flixbus actually acquired Greyhound in 2021. They used the opportunity when the value of Greyhound declined due to the pandemic restrictions when travel was not really possible.

[@thegodblogger3812]

I rode Greyhound as a kid in the 60s up until the 1980s. They were a 1st class outfit. Nowadays, it's an absolute mess. Many fond memories riding Baton Rouge to Port Arthur Tx and back. Longest trip ever was Baton Rouge to Los Ang in 1977 on a thru sked originating in Miami (transcons were big in the past). Absolutely no hiccups. Ah the former glory of Greyhound.

[@balazs2000]

@@thegodblogger3812 It's just your youth that makes everything appear better from those times.

[@thegodblogger3812]

@Balazs Kiss Nope. I enjoyed it. Had nothing to do with yourh. I strictly fly anything over any one way 3 hr drive. Have for years. I loved the bus though. As did many others.

[@danielday36]

Try to use the fancy coach lines like Vonlane or Red Coach. I live in San Antonio and Amtrak wasn't really an option to use for me so I decided to go Red Coach. The leg room was awesome and the stop in Austin was next to a Starbucks.

[@Thom-TRA]

You sold me on the Starbucks thing lol

[@gamingwizard725]

Greyhound is not the service it was in the past, Indian Trails is 1000% better than Greyhound. Try traveling to northern Michigan on Indian Trails, and you will see and feel the difference between the two bus companies. Happy Trails!!

[@Thom-TRA]

I definitely enjoyed the comfort aboard IT, and the friendly driver

[@timbuktug3321]

Thank you very much for the travel commuter service video. I am a long time Truck Driver and a bus enthusiast. I am looking into becoming a charter driver someday.

[@FPH-yi8yl]

My ribs are hurting right now! I can't stop laughing at the phone call reenactment! 😂

[@Thom-TRA]

I can laugh at it now too 😂 but at the time, I was not at all amused

[@FPH-yi8yl]

@@Thom-TRA I know that made you mad at the time. Greyhound is failing miserably on basic service delivery, and that's a shame. Incidentally I'll be passing through Chicago next week on Amtrak. I'm looking forward to seeing CUS with the reworked main waiting room!

[@michaelb9629]

Indian Trails is a motor coach bus system that I want to try. I kept forgetting about it. I’ve traveled on Greyhound many times some the last year and so has my brother. He’s only rode them between Nashville and Chattanooga which I have done a couple times. I’ve been on some other routes in Chicago too on that and Atlanta. Every time I was riding a regular Greyhound, the WiFi would never work and not always the charging outlets either. Whenever I booked bus trips on the Greyhound website, I would sometimes end up getting buses operated by Miller transportation instead which I like better.

[@Thom-TRA]

I can definitely recommend Indian trails! Not too expensive either

[@michaelb9629]

@@Thom-TRA oh, well that’s good

[@terrencewalker1982]

Miller Transportation is awesome. Some of the drivers are respectful and humble.

[@michaelb9629]

@@terrencewalker1982 yeah that’s true

[@x_utahraptorz_x6163]

I hope the lady who said it was rude realizes that Greyhound drivers always honk before arriving at the station as in a way to alert everyone that the bus is here. But a very good review. Those G-Series buses the Indian Trails have really do seem comfortable.

[@Chesterbarnes1]

I don't even have to guess which Bus Service is the best. Indian Trails will no doubt win hands up. The Exterior of the Indian Trail Coach was clean, the wheels wells were clean and the interior of the I.T. Coach was clean, not notice that dirty Greyhound Prevost coach when it arrives.

[@Chesterbarnes1]

Having now watch Greyhound I must confess it was not as bad as I had thought. Greyhound coach exterior needed cleaning. The outside of the coach was dirty. The driver should have taken care of his needs before the run. In fairness to Greyhound, Indian Trails should have made the longer run to Chicago and that would have given Greyhound a fairer assessment.

[@Chesterbarnes1]

The Greyhound Driver never said a mumbling word. He never address the passengers. The Executives at Greyhound are not Bus lovers, and they should hire CEO's who care about those beautiful coaches and know how to provide CLEAN GREYHOUND COACHES, with clean wheel wells, and not dirty exterior buses.

[@roxxma]

Here in New England, we have Peter Pan Bus Lines serving Southern New England, and Concord Coach serving Northern New England (among several other smaller and/or more commuter focused carriers such as C&J Bus Lines or Dartmouth Coach (itself a division of Concord Coach)), and Greyhound with some overlap throughout the region, Greyhound codeshares and connects with Peter Pan, and probably Concord Coach. Whenever possible, the vast majority of people will choose the the regional lines over Greyhound for just that reason you demonstrated here. As far as service goes, both PP and CC have much nicer cleaner buses, and much better customer service. Regarding the bus terminal in Chicago, if you want to get a taste of what the old Chicago Greyhound terminal was like, watch Adventures in Babysitting, where Penelope Ann Miller's character, Brenda, gets stranded there. I believe it was filmed there soon before it was replaced.

[@Thom-TRA]

Images of the old stations were exactly what formed my preconceptions of Greyhound. Glad the current station in Chicago is a little more pleasant. I remember seeing a lot of coach buses in Portland, ME when I traveled there on the Downeaster.

[@Bjd79]

I remember Peter Pan buses! I rode on couple of them back in the late 80s but most were greyhound. I was only 8 and 9 years old at the time. I would ride one of the buses every Friday and Sunday for a year. I became friends with one of the drivers since he was same driver I’d get every time at the time.

[@jimwilloughby]

I used to drive part time for Peter Pan. At the time the company had a garage in Oxford, Ma., and I did a lot of commuter work between Worcester , Framingham and Boston. Every so often I would do the Concord, NH overnight job, or Worcester, Boston ,Hartford , New Haven Turn. This was in the early 90s. At some point during my time with PP "the Hound" , as it was know by those in the industry went on strike for a long time, and this was the root of the problems with the company today. The drivers were treated badly and it showed when they went back to work. The attitude of the employees that came out of that persists to this day. The buses aren't cleaned properly, the drivers are surly, and a lot of times the schedules are tossed out the window. On the particular trip shown in this video, the driver should have gone to the men's room before leaving Kalamazoo, negating a stop mid trip.

[@kevanhubbard9673]

Never heard of Indian Trails and if I just heard the name I'd have imagined a trip from Delhi to Mumbai!

[@bushusky]

Just came from Noel Philips very demoralizing 5 day Greyhound experience video and I swear the Indian Trails bit alone uplifted my spirits as a bus enthusiast. It's everything economy bus travel should be! Clean station with a friendly attendant and a comfortable modern coach with a friendly professional driver. The Greyhound bit didn't seem anywhere near as bad as Greyhound can get, decent looking coach with a seemingly clean bathroom and also good driver, but still, Indian Trails takes the cake in this!

[@ztl2505]

These shorter regional hops aren’t bad. I’ve always heard it tends be the long-haul Greyhound routes that get wacky.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah if i had to go to LA or something, I’d definitely stick to Amtrak

[@tacliat]

I can tell you one thing for sure, if the greyhound drivers on strike don't take them. One of the worst experiences of my life was taking a bus from New Orleans to Jacksonville Florida in the middle of the night during a strike. Otherwise my other trips were short distance but I still prefer Amtrak when possible.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah that sounds rough, no thanks lol

[@onesob13]

I'd be curious to see your take on Jefferson Lines coach bus service in Minnesota

[@josephseverino674]

I was a bus driver for 4 1/2 years driving for coach USA / Suburban transit in new jersey back in the 90s i do miss it and for the most part i had the pleasure of meeting really nice passengers when i drove charter work, line runs,well that was interesting, the good the bad and the weird LOL gread video.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m riding Coach USA in Wisconsin next week!

[@Bjd79]

Coach USA used to be airport shuttles in northwest Indiana. They did not come back to northwest Indiana due to shortage of drivers and some other stuff when buses were allowed to have passengers again. I had a couple of bad experiences with coach USA before pandemic. Twice driver eating pizza or sandwiches while driving the bus!!!!! Ride was not smooth at all a lot of jerkiness. And mother time I heard a tire pop made me and several other people jump and the driver did not pull over to check it. They were never really on time some of the time. Once or twice they were almost 2 hours late!! Talk about extremely packed buses at those time. Now it’s a different bus company. I haven’t heard any complaints about new company so far.

[@DoubleHCreations]

Hi Thom, Ever heard of miles in transit(formerly Miles on the MBTA) ? You and him would be good friends

[@michaelbankston7430]

I've been riding Greyhound for years(as far back as first grade). Last year, however, I took Amtrak for the first time ever; it was beautiful! Train travel scenery is different from bus travel scenery. On the train, you see more forests and wetlands; you also travel through mountains, valleys, canyons, gorges, and ravines. That's why, like you said, I now prefer the train over the bus.

[@Thom-TRA]

The train goes through some areas cars never access, especially out west! Glad you’ve had good experiences

[@justinholt2874]

I purchased a round trip ticket to México City and back to Orlando Upon arriving in Houston our bus arrived 4 hours late. Upon leaving and arriving in San Antonio there was no apparent desire to board/disboard with any urgency to try and arrived in Monterrey within any semblence of the hours scheduled. In San Antonio it took a whole hour to board the passengers before heading to Laredo and finally Monterrey. All of this was after stopping at múltiple stations that were dirty and with barely functioning bathrooms. Upon arriving in Laredo the individual attending was at least the first person who tried helping but unfortunately misdirected me. Because the bus arrived late and the misinformation I Lost 12 hours without being able to sleep in Laredo. Luckily in Monterrey they have proper understanding of how to manage transport and I was able to arrive in México City without more complications. I have used buses and public transport in EVERY part of the world from Thailand to Europe and have never had such a terrible experience.

[@dennisforner6090]

Hi Thom & Lindsey your Greyhound & Indian Trails upload brought back sad memories of my experiences on overnight Greyhound buses. My son & I caught our first from Austin to Memphis - I cringe as I recall the trip. This was followed by a more pleasant Greyhound trip from Memphis to Nashville. Then the nightmare journey to Indianapolis. The hotel we stayed at in Indianapolis was a former train terminal. Then another Greyhound to Chicago. Never again. I agree it provides a cheap & reasonable service - often to places, not serviced by Amtrak. I also agree with you that trains are 'awesome' & buses well they are a cheaper means of travel. Stopping at 3 am in the morning to refuel & having to get out off the bus was not ideal. Interestingly all of the buses stopped at the train level crossings even if the lights were not activated, apparently, it was a safety feature. Overall my experience having also traveled on Amtraks Mapel Leaf, South West Chief & City of New Orleans was that on Greyhound one tended to avoid eye contact with one's fellow travelers, whereas on Amtrak it was a totally different experience especially with sharing one's travel experiences. Amtrak has so many positives (& a few negatives) but overall much more pleasant way to see America.

[@Thom-TRA]

That story is the stuff of nightmares! I don’t think I’d have the resolve to commit to such a long bus trip. Amtrak, however? As you said, no problem! Thanks as always for your comment

[@benjamintocchi7909]

The last time I took Greyhound: (1) it took 7 hrs to get to New York from Boston, (2) the bus had no a/c and it was August and 90 degrees, (3) bus driver got lost, (4) bus driver had a diabetic episode of unscheduled stop #2 and we had to feed her water and snacks, (5) drive went unauthorized route and refused to use the EZ-Pass so we (the passengers) had to take a collection and pay the toll at the Yonkers toll plaza on the Thruway, (6) bus driver got lost again, this time in Manhattan, (7) bus driver sideswiped a box truck outside of Port Authority and refused to move the bus, (8) passenger used the emergency lever to pop open the window and jump from bus to 41st street so he could make his connection. Next time Amtrak is sold out, I'm either going Peter Pan or driving the 2hrs to Hartford and taking Amtrak from there.

[@Thom-TRA]

This sounds like the start of a novel or movie. The events are so absurd no one will believe it’s not fiction!

[@benjamintocchi7909]

@@Thom-TRA I have a witness, my friend I traveled with, who can testify on my behalf!

[@brianmiddleton2956]

You should check out Noel Phillips, he did a video in an attempt to ride Greyhound cross country from LA TO NYC. I dont want to spoil it for anyone who didnt watch, but go check it out.

[@Thom-TRA]

Ooh I love to watch a Noel Philips every once in a while-unfortunately I have seen it and know the ending… we might have to attempt something like this at some point! -Bear

[@brianmiddleton2956]

@Trains Are Awesome yeah I found it entertaining and interesting. Doing something like that isn't for the faint of heart.

[@timfranklin937]

You have no idea how good you had it on your Greyhound. When I drove for them, there were no outlets, no wi-fi. I saw Greyhound from both sides, as a driver and as a dispatcher. So I guess I am something of a traitor because based on your video, I would have thought Indian Trails was better.

[@Thom-TRA]

I thought Indian Trails was better too, though you're right, I didn't have too much to complain about Greyhound this time

[@michaelformaini7053]

Yes, Indian Trails certainly appeared to me to be the better operator. Greyhound worldwide have that unfortunate reputation of being the transport of last resort due to the 'colourful clientele' they attract. I've not been to deepest Michigan but it was interesting to note the co-ordinated facilities between rail and road modes at both Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Boy! That station at Kalamazoo is impressive in its architecture. Hope the locals never allow it to be demolished by any redeveloper; the city should put a preservation order on it. Thanks for this interesting coverage of a journey you would normally do with Amtrak and greetings from me downunder in Melbourne, Australia. Come down and see us sometime!🙂

[@Thom-TRA]

I’ve been to Melbourne once many years ago, when I was a little kid. I’d love to go back!

[@michaelformaini7053]

@@Thom-TRA Would love to have you and Lindsey visit us when you are able. Hopefully I'll still be around then (turned 70 last month). A lot of what we have down here is covered in KZbin by Pannier P, The Bus of Doom fsx, Taitset, Greensleeves and several other KZbinrs of your generation. Check them out when you have a spare moment or two.🙂

[@Thom-TRA]

@@michaelformaini7053 happy belated birthday!

[@michaelformaini7053]

@@Thom-TRA Thanks Thom. I've just been watching a KZbin Clip on the Thirlmere Festival of Steam here in Australia which took place this weekend. Key in Rock Solid Railroading to watch (Bevan Wall Productions).

[@circleinforthecube5170]

thousands of 1800s buildings are already preserved, if they have a right to be preserved then our 50s up to 2000s buildings should be preserved too, michigan has lost a lot of late century modern architecture and its sad to see it go

[@petersavage5008]

Kinda weird that the Bus Driver didn't use his own bathroom.

[@danielday36]

No it's not.

[@tdvandy2]

Only one bathroom on the bus. Not room for more than that.

[@troybellamy4615]

It allows the driver really a bit and stretches his or her legs! Also most drivers will usually do a quick exterior inspection of the coach!

[@shauntakata1762]

Why didn't they use the washroom at the station instead of some random place on the side of the road.

[@troybellamy4615]

@@shauntakata1762 Sometimes it becomes a necessity

[@mrAhollandjr]

You rode on 2 different types ( makes and models) of buses. The Indian Trails bus was an MCI D4505. Indian Trails usually orders buses with specific specs. They actually remove a couple of rows on its buses to create that extra legroom That bus can normally seat 55 passengers, but your coach probably seats 47 or 49 passengers. Your Greyhound bus was a Prevost X3 - 45 which seats 55 passengers. Greyhound also has MCI D4505 coaches that seat 55 passengers. Greyhound seating and features are standard on all of their buses regardless of make.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for the helpful info!

[@carlossmith4004]

Although it’s true that they were on two different brands of buses the seating arrangement isn’t actually true in the case. Greyhound buses only seat 50-51 depending on age of bus. While Indian trails buses seat 54. However Indian trails is all about comfort so they make sure that small things such as comfort is there. While greyhound is a commuter service. I have worked for both companies and was actually the greyhound driver in this video.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@carlossmith4004 you were really the driver in this video? If so, thanks for the ride!

[@georgeanderson1818]

Greyhound prevost actually seat 50

[@thud9797]

Yup the Dog been 50 seats for about 10 years now, they made a big deal about it when they removed seats to increase leg room. Years ago when most buses had 47 seats Greyhound took a row out for only 43 seats to give everyone more leg room.

[@Chamberlain-ef9pk]

Anything is better than the dog...I was on a very crowded bus during the holidays.I sat in a seat for 12hrs and developed a blood clot in my right leg...Amtrak gets my business now

[@brianmiddleton2956]

On another note too, It seems if Indian Trails offered a service that went to Chicago that connected it to the rest of its Michigan network, they would clean up nicely. Giving Greyhound a run for its money in Michigan. Again assuming no such route currently exists with Indian Trails as I write this.

[@Thom-TRA]

Indian trails actually runs to 95th/Dan Ryan now, I believe

[@OttoK_yt]

They did used to offer this before COVID, properly into downtown Chicago to the Greyhound terminal!

[@EMJAY111111]

9:24 Wearing your seatbelt on the bus is a smart behavior!

[@johnalder6028]

Speaking of bus stations, Amtrak employees told me to avoid the bus station at the Amtrak station in New Orleans because it's dangerous. I thought I would give you a heads up.

[@oldfarttravels]

Unless they moved the Amtrak station they are one and the same place.

[@Thom-TRA]

No plans to go to NO as of yet but if I do I’ll keep this in mind

[@johnalder6028]

@@Thom-TRA Amtrak employee also told me that even if my hotel was a short walk from the station to take a cab because walking with baggage makes me a target. I took the cab. She said they dont bother her because they know her and I guess her hub is New Orleans for the City of New Orleans . Keep collecting train memorabilia as you go along, you will be glad you did.

[@johnalder6028]

@@oldfarttravels When i was there it was attached with a door to pass through to the bus station. I prefer to watch trains so I stayed in the train station and on the platform.

[@maas1208]

7:30 Mr. Potato head appears on camera with Thom

[@superiorjr154]

13:06 i’m with her on this one, Amtrak trumps all modes of transportation downtown

[@dexteralexander2437]

My most recent Greyhound ride, or any long distance coach bus ride, was in 1970 for a @120 mile trip to my Army induction. Your Greyhound had electric outlets, mine didn’t. A planned but not booked Amtrak trip involves a bus connection between the Cardinal and the Silver Meteor between Charlottesville and Richmond. Do you have any experience of Amtrak’s chartered coaches to share?

[@Thom-TRA]

I once rode an Amtrak replacement bus from Chicago to Kalamazoo, if you go to my shorts section you’ll see a short review! Never been on a scheduled Thruway though.

[@dexteralexander2437]

@@Thom-TRA Thanks Thom!

[@vanlacio4396]

I think indian trailways are mimicking Japanese buses as well as some sort of northern Philippine highway bus wide legrooms. If I were correct.

[@user-nc5gt5ut2d]

Sorry your regular train got canceled. I still can't help being a bit jealous though. At least in Michigan and Illinois there are many Amtrak day trains that go across the state. We in Wisconsin don't really have that except for where the empire builder stops. It would be interesting if you get the chance to see a review of an Amtrak thruway bus.

[@Thom-TRA]

Starting this summer you’ll have the Amtrak Great River service in Wisconsin! Still no service to Madison or Eau Claire, but it’s a start at least.

[@Coltrain78]

Greyhound went bankrupt and is gone from Canada. This was alarming and difficult at first, but the local intra provincial services that have stepped into the breach are far better, and offer snack bars, safer stations, and friendly service.

[@Thom-TRA]

Snack bars on board?

[@Coltrain78]

@@Thom-TRA Yes, Red Arrow bus from Edmonton to Calgary has an on-board complimentary snack and refreshments station and seating is in 1-2 configuration.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@Coltrain78 amazing

[@lukestrainsandotherstuff]

Once again great video even though it’s about buses

[@Chamberlain-ef9pk]

I luv riding Southeastern Stages in the south over Greyhound...

[@Thom-TRA]

Haven’t heard of them!

[@Chamberlain-ef9pk]

@@Thom-TRA they're based in Atlanta and contracted with Greyhound...serving NC,SC,GEORGIA and Florida

[@alexlorenz4103]

9:06 it was a little rude of the driver, but then again he was just warning her that he was coming.

[@cooltrainsinmontreal4883]

So, when the driver went to the bathroom, did he just go in the side of the road, or did he use the bus toilet

[@Thom-TRA]

He used the bus toilet, I showed him walking back

[@bobsnelling8395]

Comparing any transport company to Greyhound, especially since it’s takeover by Flixbus, doesn’t set a very high bar.

[@aklnarslan8756]

Of course legendary GREYHOUND Lines, But, Coaches must be pure blood American MCl brand. lf you remember, in 1969 & 70's, world's best coac MCl MC6 12 cylinder Supercruiser [also as known as Challenger] was being in GREYHOUND fleet

[@94montrose]

I like Amtrak Too

[@JJRol.]

I thought you said $16 instead of $60 at first, $60 for this trip was way too much! Anyways, good review of Indian Trails and Greyhound, thanks!

[@Thom-TRA]

Had to book it last minute sadly

[@eyestoenvy]

As a frequent bus traveler from NYC I can attest to the negative comments about Greyhound. The Port Authority Bus station sets the tone for every departure from NYC, unless you travel via Megabus or Greyhound's former BOLT BUS operation. It is the WORSE bus station in the country, if not the world, in my humble opinion. Greyhound for the most part keeps its coaches very clean, but the station however is a direct contradiction to its actual service. The employees, for the most part, are ok. Meaning the drivers. But the staffers of the station itself again are a much different story. Would Greyhound fair better as a curbside operation like the aforementioned companies? I can't help but wonder. But the fact that I greatly prefer to brave the elements (curbside, no station) for Megabus in any city that I go to, says a lot about Greyhound. Their bare-bones (curbside) BOLT BUS operation was wonderful with great reviews. Why it was stopped I'll never know. The bus interiors on Greyhound seem very cold, unwelcoming, etc but clean nonetheless. You can see the blatant difference here in this video between the first bus company and Greyhound's coach, with its bright plush cloth seats, better lighting, the appearance of wood paneled floors, etc. The leather seats on Greyhound's newer Prevost coaches (shown here) are nice to look at but tear easily and are awful in comfort after 1-2 hours and beyond. Greyhound's call center has always been a terrible experience for me. It is (or perhaps was) based out of the Philippines where the reps have no clue as to what is happening in real time here in the US. And that can be terribly frustrating! That being said as far as bus services from NYC, my picks are: Megabus, (BOLT was second but they're gone now), Peter Pan, Coach USA (Shortline Bus), Martz, Adirondack Trailways, The Chinatown Buses, FLIX, NJ Transit (AC), & Greyhound.

[@Thom-TRA]

I disagree. I found PABT to be quite pleasant, and all the stories like this one to be very exaggerated. Maybe it’s just been a long time since you’ve done this? (Also since bolt bus doesn’t exist anymore)

[@eyestoenvy]

@@Thom-TRA Nope, use it all the time, almost every other weekend. Especially for Greyhound trips (or NJ Transit) to Atlantic City NJ. Perhaps I should have specified "off hours" (late night and or very early predawn), where the station becomes a makeshift homeless shelter. Like say on a Sunday morning 4 am arrival from Atlantic City, etc. It is a sight and experience to behold. It resembled Philly's Kensington Avenue (under the EL) district.

[@samtrak1204]

When are you going to test ride trains in India?

[@garyhorchem4365]

Now that FlixBus owns Greyhound they require reservations and you can reserve an entire row of seats to yourself for a fee. Also they are slowly closing the last remaining Greyhound owned stations and moving into city transit stations, airports and Amtrak stations.

[@Thom-TRA]

I think consolidating services into stations is a good idea

[@garyhorchem4365]

It’s a good idea until the transit system won’t let Greyhound sell tickets onsite or let Greyhound have staff onsite to answer questions like if the bus is late.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@garyhorchem4365 well that can be remedied

[@joshalex93]

​@@Thom-TRAthat definitely can't be solved.. Remember Flix is overseas and doesn't have any headquarters in the US..

[@Thom-TRA]

@@joshalex93 there are literally so many examples of stations that have booths for multiple agencies within them. Like Kalamazoo. I have no clue where this weird pessimism comes from. Also, a company with headquarters overseas still has facilities and staff in the US.

[@tazareal]

The old Continental Trailways Eagle buses were the best. After Greyhound bought out Trailways, they had no real bus competition and acted like it. Then the dog was bought out by First Group, which made things worse. Ask any UK bus or rail fans what they think of First Group, the shame of Scotland. You missed the real fun, the old Chicago Greyhound terminal where the Thompson Center is today, where all the buses came & left on Lower Wacker. That place was a trip in itself.

[@Thom-TRA]

I didn’t know the old station was in the Thompson Center! You learn something new eleventh day.

[@bradhig]

Mom ,my sister, and I rode Trailways from St. Louis to Eugene in 1985. Didn't have any issues other then a bus driver struggling to drive up I70 towards the tunnel. He was even driving on the shoulder to avoid holding up traffic. A passenger who was a truck driver offered to help him, but he refused. We did make it to the tunnel and into Denver heading eastbound. Sad to see Trailways is gone.

[@ck4426]

I really enjoy all of your videos but this one was really informative and entertaining. Glad it went as well as it did and for $120 j might have just rented a car.🤣😅😆🤣😅

[@Thom-TRA]

Renting a car ain’t that cheap when you’re not 25 yet…

[@ck4426]

@@Thom-TRA True!!!🥲

[@samtrak1204]

Selling schedule books???

[@history_leisure]

4:17 that’s a nice photo of you guys on Lindsey’s phone

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah we like each other a lot

[@OneGina83]

Nothing wrong with bad talking greyhound. It’s bad I had bags left and no idea when they were coming to Detroit. But nobody told me flixbus owns them now.. wait a minute the WiFi works on greyhound buses but no flixbus.😢

[@bg1379]

9:06 she's right - that was more than a little rude! Also really unprofessional - great way to blight the area around another Greyhound station.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah like dude, she’s already in the process of getting out of the way

[@SuperDave30]

Greyhound bus ride can be enjoyable it depends, I ride Greyhound bus every now and then.

[@Thom-TRA]

I definitely didn’t hate this!

[@nixcails]

Isn't 'Long Distance Coach Bus Companies' a very long winded way of saying Coach as opposed to bus? In English and French the distinction is clear. A Coach is a long distance usually pre booked or pre paid service (although a few walk on services like the South West Falcon or Green Line exist) whilst a bus is either a city/town or intertown service. (In France Autocar = Coach, Autobus = city or intertown local) I generally find independent or small operators are better than the global corporates both on local and long distance. In the South West of England family business Berry's still hold on to their routes with better prices service levels and comfort despite competition from two railway 'brands' and global corporates Megabus and National Express. I'm not a fan of coaches one of my pet hates of the Americas is the rail network is so limited. Whilst other parts of the world, especially North Africa and Central Asia are investigating in improved rail services.

[@Thom-TRA]

Train service is definitely better than coach! I kind of like the static nature of rail, makes it more mappable (is that a word? Lol)

[@nixcails]

@@Thom-TRA Mappable is a word. In the Oxford English Dictionary.

[@garyjoynes2125]

The Greyhound driver was seems like he was very unprofessional look at the way he came into that bus terminal blowing the horn.

[@KJW-Transit]

You said trains are awesome video more like buses are awesome video 😆

[@Thom-TRA]

Hey as long as a train makes an appearance, it counts! Lol

[@KJW-Transit]

@@Thom-TRA it would have been cool if the MCI's made it appearance but no you got the other model

[@nbahn]

I remember one eye-popping moment -- I think this was around 2020 -- when I saw an Indian Trails bus rounding a corner AND ONE OF THE CARGO BAY DOORS WAS OPEN!!! I just couldn't stop shaking my head..... 🧐

[@Thom-TRA]

Oof… that’s not good!

[@nbahn]

@@Thom-TRA I saw it WITH MY OWN EYES, and I could not believe what I was seeing! It was just SO unbelievable..... Thinking back, I think that I witnessed it sometime between 2017-2019.

[@johnkolassa1645]

When you had the issues with the phone, were you talking to a robot powered by poor-quality AI?

[@Thom-TRA]

No a real person

[@johnkolassa1645]

@@Thom-TRA That's depressing. I'd rather it have been a machine.

[@LifeOnCoach]

✌🏾

[@joemotes]

Thanks for the video, I hate buses, will alway stick with trains.

[@Thom-TRA]

Trains certainly are much better

[@xboxmods]

2:27 I can’t *pbbft* understand *pbbft* her accent

[@Thom-TRA]

*bzzzt* I don’t know *bzzzzt* what you mean

[@chrisfr977]

If you have a choice between Greyhound and another long-distance bus company Don't Go Greyhound

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah that’s the moral of the story

[@jameskerner7782]

Cheer up Thom. I've been called a woman on the phone for many many year's

[@tellit4678]

Woe he peed on the side of road when they a bathroom on his bus

[@Thom-TRA]

He peed on the bus. But you can’t really keep the bus in motion if the driver is in the bathroom now can you.

[@Curling_Rack]

hello ma'am! lol

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah the first time could’ve been a mistake. The 17th time I was done with it.

[@KJW-Transit]

Did you really just pay more money for a less comfortable experience

[@Thom-TRA]

I had no choice, this Amtrak cancellation happened without warning and the other trains were sold out. Used it as an opportunity to try something new.

[@KJW-Transit]

@@Thom-TRA oh okay

[@TheTwoTravelersInMexico]

Greyhound customer service is awful.

[@rubentrejo1928]

You on the phone with your own self 🤦🏽‍♂️ sir don’t call me a ma’am well you’re acting like one

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m sorry, I didn’t realize only women talked on the phone. I’ll stick to more manly stuff from now on, like making myself look stupid in KZbin comment sections.

[@VaudeVilleClown]

Damn....misgendered by AI!

[@Thom-TRA]

It was not AI but an outsourced call center…

[@VaudeVilleClown]

@@Thom-TRA an actual person? Yikes!!!! I thought it was a computerised voice, mam. :-p

[@casperthedumbassghost7164]

IMHO Greyhound rivals (honestly probably wins) the DMV for Worst Possible Customer Service in existance. I've generally had pretty good experiences with my fellow passengers though: people generally keep to themselves mostly, and masks help with potential smells. Once I got stranded in nyc port authority, and all us passengers rallied around each other and supported each other. A lot of very interesting, kind people....granted a decent number of creeps too. General piece of wisdom is to perhaps not be an 19y/o girl by yourself in a bus station all night long...really not the safest or most comfortable situation to be in, thanks greyhound XD

[@Thom-TRA]

Glad that your neighbors were good, eh, neighbors!

[@oldfarttravels]

So sorry you had to take the worlds worst bus company. Last time I took Greyhound we had a 3 hours forced layover in Indianpolis as it took that long for a greyhound service person to come look at the bus and say well it needs a new light switch which he had to go buy at a local parts store. Yep 3 hours to changed a front head light switch.

[@gethighonlife11]

People fighting over the Greyhound buses? Interesting! I have never taken Greyhound. I have rode coach buses in Argentina before, but not in the USA. @8:17 #Thom, they don't know your pronouns, ha, ha, ha!