Greyhound Bus Lines

In Austin, Greyhound is closer to me than Megabus. I rode it on a Saturday 12:01 pm trip from Austin to Houston. The bus left at 12:09 pm. We’re stuck in Houston’s Hwy 290 traffic so we’ll probably be at least half an hour late.
Pros:
— Vending machines where you can buy snacks and drinks
— Comfortable, quiet, cushioned rides that arenothing like the rough Capital Metro bus rides
— There are kiosks where you can print tickets
— Buying tickets was easy
— Ticket prices seemed competitive with Megabus
— The bus driver seemed nice
— There were power outlets for each seat.
— The Wifi signal was steady and strong.
Cons:
— The bus station is a small building with barely enough chairs in the waiting area.
— Security is dubious as the bus driver doesn’t scan your ticket code or make you and your baggage go through a metal detector
— Drinks and food allowed on buses so you’ll see remnants of that on the bus
— Bus riders sometimes carry on long phone conversations and talk loudly
— The gates and bus boarding information is announced via an intercom with terrible audio quality. Even native English speakers have to listen closely. They should post gate information on a screen somewhere.
— There are lots of strong perfumes and cigarette smells in the bus station waiting area as well as on the bus. The lady sitting in front and upwind of me had lots of unpleasant perfume on. That was the worst thing. That made me feel sick the whole 3-​hr trip. Bring a facemask or better yet, a respirator. I guess perfume is preferable to the smell of people who haven’t bathed in a while…
I’ll try Megabus next time.

It’s Greyhound, what do you expect? It’s like Megabus, but cheaper with a few more interesting people.
The Austin station is smaller than the Dallas or Houston stations, so no hot food and overpriced sodas. The bathrooms are decent, and the workers were friendly enough.
The biggest problem is probably Austin traffic — all the buses on the day I traveled were running late, and my bus didn’t leave until about 30 minutes after its scheduled departure time. Greyhound should probably start factoring this into their afternoon departures.
The station is located near 35 and city bus lines, which makes it easy to get myself home without bothering a roommate.
I’ll be back — out of necessity.

Awful. Greyhound allows the «Drug Interdiction Task Force» to harrass random riders of their buses. As soon as I got out, I was swarmed by agents asking me for ID. They identified themselves as the Drug Interdiction Task Force and did indeed say they pick people out AT RANDOM and demand that they search my luggage. I said no. They said «well were gonna have to bring the dog out». The dog sniffed around and seemed uninterested in what I had. These officers seemed very, very angry that I had nothing illegal. I went on my way.
Oh yeah. Its overpriced, terrible costumer service, the riders are usually the scum of the earth, beggars, parasites, predators, thieves flock here, the bathroom are disgusting… I still think Im missing something.
Stay away all costs.

The people that work here don’t particularly give a fuck about anything at all. I’ve used this greyhound several times to go from Austin to Dallas and each time my bus has run late. And I understand that, traffic can add up quickly across long distances. But it’s been a guessing game as to what’s happening, there are zero announcements and when asked most employees just sort of shrug and give me a dirty look, as if I’m the asshole for asking why my bus is two hours late. I suppose it’s a commonplace occurrence to them. Next time I’ll be taking a Megabus to Dallas and then a greyhound to my other destination just to minimize the amount of risk and time I have to spend dealing with this atrocious customer service.

Not only was I told my bus schedule changed without notification days before my trip, I was talked to like a child. My itenerary now has huge layovers and my arrival time is 12 hours later. I haven’t even gotten on my first bus and I’m considering calling the whole thing off. What a nightmare! The terminal reminds me of booking at county. Do anything but ride with them.

I *really* dislike writing one-​star reviews, as should be evident from my profile. I’ve also given Greyhound plenty of chances, even given their often-​bizarre methods of business operations that have left me PO’d much more often than not. Their misadventure today, however, was the final straw. Greyhound, I don’t *wish* I could quit you; I HAVE quit you.
In many ways Greyhound reminds me of the situation with taxicabs in the age of Über: they’re both still running under utterly antiquated means, and think that creating an «app» or selling tickets online somehow all by itself makes them the equivalent of an Über or a Southwest Airlines. They do not. By the longest shot imaginable. (Think Pluto. Well, assuming it still exists…)
So: here’s how Greyhound works today. Once upon a time their biggest worry was Southwest, which initially only offered short-​haul routes (e.g. Dallas to Austin). Now they have a much bigger problem: Megabus. They’ve built their entire marketing model around one stole … er, used in homage to the major European discount airlines, Ryanair in particular. Ryanair’s schtick has always been «flights as low as 1 euro,» and Megabus launched with tickets as low as $ 1 from the get-​go, along with a bunch of nifty amenities like free wi-​fi and power outlets for charging your phone or computer. Greyhound responded by creating Greyhound Express, which is basically identical except for them not using two-​story buses or having any type of assigned seating. All sounds good on paper … er, screen, right? In practice … well, not so much.
Let’s start with ticketing: if you buy your ticket online, there are no refunds, period, ever, for all eternity, regardless of whether you paid a buck or $ 250 for a cross-​country trek (though I can’t even fathom what kind of masochist would do THAT in this day and age). You can *change* online tickets for $ 20, assuming there’s no alteration in route, but here’s the kicker: you have to pay the change fee EVEN WHEN GREYHOUND IS AT FAULT for your inability to use said ticket. That’s what happened to me: I arrived at precisely 1:08pm (confirmed on my atomic clock-​synced iPhone) for a 1:15pm bus, only to walk in the station and literally see it driving off — this despite the fact that I had two confirmed, pre-​paid tickets for the trip. I was subsequently «invited» to sit and wait FOUR HOURS for the next bus — ON TOP OF having to pay an additional $ 40 (recall that I had two tickets) for «missing» a bus that left early. (Also, Greyhound MAKES A POINT of stating on its website that unlike air travel, where you have to get to the airport at least a half-​hour before departure, Greyhound lets you arrive and hop straight onto a bus — well, unless, of course, it’s DEPARTED EARLY FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.)
But just to be clear, it’s even *more* likely that your bus will be running SUPER-​LATE, and also for no logical reason whatsoever! Last time IIRC we left 40 minutes late; the time before was closer to an hour. Again: I have no clue why they were delayed. (Oh, that’s ANOTHER super-​awesome thing about Greyhound! Me, walking up to the manager: «Hey, do you know when the bus to Houston is leaving?» Manager: «Bus ain’t here yet. I dunno.» Me: «Do you know when it’s arriving?» Manager: «I dunno.» Me: «Do you know *why* it’s late?» Manager: «I dunno.» Me: «Can you give me even a ballpark figure when the inbound bus is arriving?» Manager: «Nope.» Me: «Can’t you call dispatch or something and find out?» Manager: «That ain’t how things work around here.» And so forth.)
Oh, and those newfangled «amenities» like wi-​fi? Good luck with that. NOT ONCE have I ridden a Greyhound bus where the wi-​fi didn’t cut out entirely every couple of minutes — AT BEST. Most of the time it’s out of commission, period … which, naturally, they don’t tell you before boarding.
Finally, just to be clear, Megabus is no wonderful alternative to Greyhound like Über is to taxis. HELLLLLL no. In some ways it’s even *worse* than Greyhound … which I say solely to emphasize that even *given* Megabus’s own hot-​mess set of problems, I’m still quitting Greyhound. And the saddest part certainly has nothing to do with *me*: Greyhound’s service is piss-​poor because the majority of its passengers have *no* other option. I’m not talking about folks in Austin or Houston or some big city; I mean the ones in small towns with either no airport at all, or one that charges astronomical prices since one airline has a monopoly on service there. In the old days they had to compete with Trailways. These days Trailways is a shell of its former self: basically just an ad hoc jumble of various highly regional bus routes, ones that cover only a fraction of Greyhound’s total territory.
Sayonara, Greyhound. And for all y’all Unilocalers considering a ride on it: ACHTUNG!

I sent my niece tickets from virginia to austin texas. I was so upset when then sepearted the three young children from there mother and they sat with strangers. They should be ashamed of thereself for letting kids do this for 1400 miles. you suck greyhound. your lucky thoses kids are safe. or you head would be in hot water…

I encountered some minor problems on my recent trip, and Jonathan, the manager was very instrumental in making sure that my problem was not only solved, but that he did everything possible to make my experience with greyhound the absolute best I’ve ever had! By far one of the best customer service experiences I’ve had concerning travel,& I have traveled a lot in my life coming from a military family!!! Thank you for your genuine assistance Greyhound Austin!!!

:(Disappointed in the service from employees behind the counter. Really sad because Greyhound will never do anything to improve.

I get a little sick to my stomach when I think about Greyhound. Why?
1) MOST of the people who work there look/​treat you like you are the least important person in the world. And I get it, I know they get some sketchy, a-​holes regularly. But when a young lady with a kind face comes and asks you a question, BE NICE! Instead, I have had Greyhound workers literally turn around and walk away from me after asking them a direct question.
2) I’ve taken Greyhound 4 – 5 times now. One of those times the bus was full and there were still 6 people with tickets needing to board. They oversold the bus… no bueno. And from what I’ve read, this happens often. Tip: Get there early and get in line early!
3) The buses are late very often. By like, 1 – 2 hours. This sucks…
4) Buses are older and small (I’m comparing to Megabus)
5) The bathroom on the bus… omg the bathroom. ew.
The good thing about Greyhound is that it usually gets you where you want to be for a decent price (if you book 2+ weeks in advance). They also have outlets in the bus which is nice, you can charge your phone/​tablet.

I purchased a Greyhoud Express bus ticket for May 27, 2014 for a trip from Austin to Dallas with the hope of using the bus’ free wifi and electrical outlets to work on the way. I called Greyhound to make sure they would have these services on the bus and the customer representative said that the bus should have these amenities. When it was time to board, the bus to Dallas was an Americanos bus and it did not have wifi nor electrical outlets, so I did not get on. Fortunately, I had purchased a refundable ticket. So I took a Megabus bus to Dallas a little later that day, and it did have wifi and electrical outlets. I won’t use Greyhound again until they can guarantee that all of their buses have wifi and electrical outlets.

It’s greyhound so you can’t expect much. This one even less so. Early am bus ticket, in the past sure no problem. Now they have the automated kiosks. So even less help behind the counter. That’s a problem

I agree with J. T (below)., most folks write reviews when unhappy. Nevertheless, I can say now that 2 of my 3 Greyhound experiences have been miserable (let’s say one mediocre, 3-​star experience, and two 1-​stars).
Both times, the bus was delayed. I understand that happens. What I don’t understand is how difficult it is for the bus station to make that fact known to the passengers. I had to seek someone out to ask when/​if it was showing up. The first time, I was given no answer and told to wait in line… I waited two hours.
Today, I was given an extremely vague answer «the bus is half an hour late, so probably before 6 AM» and come 6, I have still not heard a peep from the staff. I left at 6:30 AM. My bus was supposed to be at 5:40 AM.
Here are the two worst parts. 1) Greyhound asks you to show up an hour before departure… an absolutely insulting request for a company that can’t hold it’s own schedule or let you know if it’s running behind. 2) I had my car less than a block away, but was hoping to do work on the bus. Had they been honest and upfront with me, I could have skipped the hour-​long wait and started driving immediately.
Never taking Greyhound again until they change management.

not extremely terrible.
the station was clean and my bus from austin to fort worth was clean. all of the workers were nice and there weren’t too many weirdos.
the wifi only worked sporadically so i would bring some offline entertainment as a backup.
also never take the greyhound if you absolutely must be somewhere by a certain time. they are almost always a little to very late.
all in all a decent experience and not a bad price for quick in state trips.

Most people need to grow up. I’ve booked tickets leaving Austin to different locations a few times and I haven’t had a single issue.
Drivers are more than nice, always travel with two seats for myself, bus almost empty, super comfortable.
I’ve enjoyed every single bus trip.

I was recently a passenger on route #1408 (later changed to #1305) from Los Angeles, CA to Dallas, TX. This route arrived 10 hours late, had several physical altercations on the bus while in route; had passengers removed for fighting, alcohol and drug abuse; was re routed at least 2 times; and was aboard a vehicle that was not fit for human beings. During the trip, at least 4 of your employees said word for word they «did not care about our schedules». We were subjected to 4 drivers in training, all of whom did not know how to properly operate a bus or even which stops were which. They were forced to ask for directions several times from paying customers. One of these drivers even went as far as to ask a mentally handicapped girl if she would buy him lunch (which she did), because he was «broke as fuck and doing us a favor». During one of the physical altercations, your driver dimmed the lights and continued driving for 20 minutes, even while threats to kill each other were being made to a woman well over her 60^th birthday by a man less than half her age. Your terminal employee (nametag «Collins») in El Paso, TX yelled and screamed at customers and refused to re issue tickets for routes, re routing me to Dallas instead of San Antonio, and ultimately being the reason ALL OF MY LUGGAGE WAS LOST. He explained that he «is not paid well enough to deal with riots, I don’t like yall attitude, so everybody get back on the same bus and we will just let Texas deal with you people». The terminal manager in El Paso (name Rene Fernandez), simply walked away from this large crowd of angry customers and locked himself in his office. During our entire 40 hour trip from Los Angeles to Dallas, our bus was not cleaned once, the bathroom was not treated, and the smell was so bad that no one was able to sit near the rear of the bus as people were getting sick nauseous. Another of your training drivers (name Gwen Johnson) had to ask for direction to every stop from Albaleene to Dallas, often passing right by stops and being forced to take lengthy detour on a route that was already almost half a day late getting paying customers to their destinations. Upon arriving in Austin, TX and finding out my luggage was lost, the terminal manager there assured me he would call me to discuss the issue within the next 2 days, he has not.
These are more than simple «customer service issues», these are health and safety issues which I will report up the chain until I get the answers and service I have already paid for. I will write letters, reviews, emails, etc until one of you takes personal responsibility for what happens under your supervision. Do NOT direct me to your online customer service forms, because we both know how far those would get me. Please take some pride in your job and respond in a timely manner. My vacation has been completely ruined by your employees ineptitude and lack of professionalism. The way your driver took advantage of the handicapped girl was absolutely disgusting, your driver’s inability to control passengers was disturbing, and management’s overall disinterest in these issues is appalling.

It’s unfortunate that most people only write reviews when we are angry or have been treated poorly. I am guilty of that myself. After reading reviews about Austin’s Greyhound bus experiences, I was freaked that I didn’t investigate further before buying a very affordable ticket.
I am currently on bus from Austin to Houston at 10:05am. Using its wifi on a very clean, cushy seat. The station was clean, (didn’t use the toilet, or eat from the machine) the staff appropriate, and the system organized. The bus driver asked a guy on his cell to keep his voice down. So far, it is what I hope it was going to be.
I hope my return trip is the same way.

I had booked a Greyhound express ticket for 5:25 PM going to Houston. I get to the Austin Greyhound station at 4:30 PM, well ahead of my departure time. I stand in line around 5:15, confident I would be able to get on the bus, because my ticket, as the Greyhound express website says is «guaranteed.» The bus is late 15 minutes, and when it finally gets here, I find out that there are no more seats available since they had overbooked the bus.
I am initially told that they would try to get another bus for the 20 or so people that were unable to board, but soon realize that I would have to wait for the next bus at 8 PM. So, I wait the 2 ½ hours for the next bus to Houston to come. When it finally comes, I notice it was not a Greyhound express bus, which is what I paid for. But since I just wanted to go home, I didn’t mind. So, right as I am about to board, an Austin Greyhound employee announces over the intercom that our tickets needed to be changed because it was a different company that was operating this new bus. So, I am led inside to the desk where they change my ticket. While they’re changing it, however, this next bus gets full, as the bus driver ignores the greyhound employee’s plea to stop the boarding to allow the 5:25 PM travelers to board first. I am told that I would have to wait until the 10 PM bus now.
When I asked the woman why she didn’t change our tickets before the bus got here, so that we would have been able to board. She scoffs at me and says that «it would have been silly to change everyone when we didn’t know how many seats there were.» When I note that this doesn’t make sense, since our tickets would have had to been changed eventually, so that we can board a later bus, she ignores me and walks off.
While I am waiting for the 10 PM bus, I go to the desk, where I ask the employee sitting there, about potentially getting reimbursed/​refunded for my troubles. Instead of trying to make amends or apologizing for the inconvenience, he condescendingly lectures me about how the seats are «first-​come, first-​serve», even though that is contrary to what their website says. («We don’t oversell our schedules, so this boarding pass will guarantee you a seat on your ticketed schedule.»)
Finally, at 10 PM, by pure luck, the bus that arrives is empty and I am able to board. My final arrival time is 1 AM, exactly 4 ½ hours later than my original scheduled arrival time of 8 PM.
In conclusion, I would just like to say that I was very frustrated not only because I didn’t get what I paid for (an on-​time, guaranteed seat on a bus), but also, because of the unprofessional manner and attitude displayed by the Greyhound employees in the Austin station for trying to make up for mistakes that were made on their part. I can say with confidence that is last time I will ever ride the Greyhound.
Edit: They gave me a full refund, and a $ 100 credit for my troubles.

This is a smaller station than San Antonio or Dallas, which have hot food. Bathroom could be better. This station is spacious and I feel pretty safe here as compared to the Dallas station. It’s in a convenient location to be picked up by friends/​family.

I have tried calling the greyhound number several times tonight in Austin… and everytime it rings then there is a disconnect like someone is hanging up. How do I get through to this station? Does anyone know? I have also called the 1 – 800 customer service number who gave me a different Austin number to call. I called the second Austin number and the same thing happened. It’s like they keep hanging up. Can anyone get me some detail on this?
Thanks,