Greyhound is Gone

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Locke

Right, okay, have you ever taken the Greyhound?

I've taken it from Calgary to Vancouver and Calgary to Toronto and Toronto to Windsor as well as a few times to Edmonton, Creston, etc.

Its a Hell on Earth that knows no equal.

Their sign over the main doors should read:

"Abandon all hope, Ye who enter here."

Drugs and Alcohol were invented for long Greyhound trips.

I once did Nanaimo to Calgary.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Drugs and Alcohol were invented for long Greyhound trips.

I once did Nanaimo to Calgary.

I also determined that the most obnoxious thing you can do on a long Greyhound trip is bring on a bucket of KFC from one of the stops.

Thats cruel and unusual torture. For everyone.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Locke

I also determined that the most obnoxious thing you can do on a long Greyhound trip is bring on a bucket of KFC from one of the stops.

Thats cruel and unusual torture. For everyone.

Post consumption.....

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by Locke

Right, okay, have you ever taken the Greyhound?

I've taken it from Calgary to Vancouver and Calgary to Toronto and Toronto to Windsor as well as a few times to Edmonton, Creston, etc.

Its a Hell on Earth that knows no equal.

Their sign over the main doors should read:

"Abandon all hope, Ye who enter here."

Charlottetown to Toronto when I was 11. By myself. Long story.
Pretty sure it was greyhound, my family said it was. It could have been some sketchy off-brand maritime bus.

[calgarywinning]

Lest we forget the bus beheading scenario.

[agulati]

I took Greyhound a few times during my university days (3-4 years back). I actually found it to be decent for what you paid. But then again I had my noise cancelling headphones on and generally found a seat closer to the front.

US on the other hand was a complete #### show. I took the bus travelling from New York to Boston and DC. The crowds were interesting to say the least.

[TheIronMaiden]

It is hard not to look back at my GreyHound experiences nostalgically. Although at the time they were uncomfortable.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

It is hard not to look back at my GreyHound experiences nostalgically. Although at the time they were uncomfortable.

I understand exactly what you mean.

I used to work there, so I got free tickets to wherever so when my friends and I wanted to travel it was cheap.

But it takes forever!

Stopping at every podunk little town in between means that the average trip is obscenely long, but it was cheap! But when you're young you either have a lot of time off (no job, which was never my case) or you dont have much time off and you're burning a lot of it in transit on the Ol' Dirty Dawg.

I remember that trip to Vancouver if my two buddies hadnt been broke as hell I was seriously, seriously considering just buying a WestJet ticket home as opposed to doing that trip again.

[Buff]

I went on the Greyhound on two separate occasions in the 80s and 90s before I was 16. There was even in an accident on my 2nd trip. The Greyhound hit a car that was slowing down to make a turn off of the highway. Nobody was hurt and I don't think there was any damage to the bus aside from maybe a couple of cosmetic bumps to the bus. I don't remember if I even saw the car. I don't remember changing buses at all. I believe we waited for RCMP to take statements of anybody who saw what happened which I do remember wasn't very many people and we were on our way. The bus was delayed by a couple of hours, but I don't even remember it feeling that agonizingly long. I think my friend and his parents who were waiting for me at the depot were more worried about the delay than I was. I'm not even sure I told my parents about it. Maybe I did, that was the last time I ever was on a Greyhound.

[Zarley]

I've done long distance intercity bus rides in India, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam - and the time I took a Greyhound from Calgary to Vancouver is easily the worst experience of all those trips. It's truly a third world level of service.

[GordonBlue]

bad news. I have a family member that lives in a tiny hamlet. not sure what she'll do.

[RoadGame]

Ah! No more Wounded Schnauzer...

My Greyhound experiences weren't all that bad (aside from the delays due to breakdown about 1/3 the time). This is definitely going to be tough for people with fewer options and limited means. Hopefully enough of a niche exists for it to be served economically by a new entrant with a (radically?) different business model.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

bad news. I have a family member that lives in a tiny hamlet. not sure what she'll do.

Work harder and get a car?

[habernac]

Spent 8+ years of my early working life working package express and even did a stint driving freight 5 years ago when they axed the Calgary- Lethbridge bus. It was a backwards company for a long, long, long time. I will be forever in their debt as I met my wife working there.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by habernac

Spent 8+ years of my early working life working package express and even did a stint driving freight 5 years ago when they axed the Calgary- Lethbridge bus. It was a backwards company for a long, long, long time. I will be forever in their debt as I met my wife working there.

Pretty sure there is a package joke in here somewhere.

[tkflames]

Step one in freeing up the land for Calgary next?? You're a sly fox Mr. King!

Editamn it! Beaten to it by a mile.. .

[Locke]

Originally Posted by habernac

Spent 8+ years of my early working life working package express and even did a stint driving freight 5 years ago when they axed the Calgary- Lethbridge bus. It was a backwards company for a long, long, long time. I will be forever in their debt as I met my wife working there.

Simple fix...

That being said, I'll bet we worked there around the same time, but you were upstairs and I was in the goddamned lanes.

[Amethyst]

I don't worry as much about the city to city routes, as there are other options (maybe not great, but if you had to get from Calgary to Vancouver without a car, you could do it.

What I worry about is the small town service. My parents, for example, live in a small town in Saskatchewan and often have to go to Saskatoon for appointments. They are still driving at this point, but eventually may not be. They started taking the bus in to the city if they didn't want to drive (certain appointments where driving after wasn't advisable, bad weather, etc.) I worry that people like them will not want to impose on others, so they will drive when they shouldn't and I worry about the people who don't drive or have a car.

I hope some kind of alternative develops for those people.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Amethyst

I don't worry as much about the city to city routes, as there are other options (maybe not great, but if you had to get from Calgary to Vancouver without a car, you could do it.

What I worry about is the small town service. My parents, for example, live in a small town in Saskatchewan and often have to go to Saskatoon for appointments. They are still driving at this point, but eventually may not be. They started taking the bus in to the city if they didn't want to drive (certain appointments where driving after wasn't advisable, bad weather, etc.) I worry that people like them will not want to impose on others, so they will drive when they shouldn't and I worry about the people who don't drive or have a car.

I hope some kind of alternative develops for those people.

Well if your parents are in Saskatchewan that should be fine, last I remember Saskatchewan had their own Provincially owned bus line, when I was working at Greyhound, the bus stopped at Speedy Creek (Swift Current) and swapped to the Government owned Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) until they hit Manitoba.

With the NDP around in Alberta and BC thats almost certainly whats going to happen here as well. Government owned and operated Bus Transportation. So I wouldnt be too worried about it.

They'll probably even get a Carbon Tax Exemption.

[Slava]

I took the bone shaker once from Lethbridge to Calgary. It was a terrible five hours of my life. There was a kid vomiting blood, a bus breakdown and it was generally horrible. Weird that they haven't managed to stay in business!