Good points all around. Most of the situations I have been cautious about happened in the bus stations. A lot of the bus stations have been greatly improved over the years and are a little safer due to security concerns after 9/11. Most of the "party type" people always sit in the back, if you want to feel safer, sit in front near the driver. I used to write down the number of the bus I was traveling on. Once you get off the bus that's parked around other buses you can get confused as to what bus your riding, especially at night. Once you get off the bus after it stops for any period of time, stay in the bus station and pay attention when they announce the number of your bus and which lane it's parked in. Sometimes you have to get off the bus while they take it in for cleaning and servicing,the driver will give you a re-boarding pass to get back on.
Yes, they are now asking for ID which is new. With the new Real ID that will be required for domestic air travel, I imagine Amtrak and Greyhound will be requiring it also at some point. Should be an interesting transition.
I've been going the same route between Indiana and Florida on Greyhound for almost 9 years now. Next month, I'm going to be on a 20 hour ride from Indiana to Texas and the idea of new, unfamiliar stations has me very stressed lol. I've been watching your videos for some peace of mind. Thank you for sharing info and helping me be more prepared!
No problem! I know how you feel. Even these days I get a little nervous when I have to go to new stations. But most of them are ok, and the few sketchy ones out there aren't too bad if you pay attention and use common sense. Hope you have a great trip!
I'm 6'3" and 275 without a lot of softness even though I'm old. I like my odds. However, I'll stay in the front of the bus if I can and wear sweats. This will be my first and likely last trip on Greyhound (it was an emergency). I appreciate your insights.
your awesome guru im on the bus right now your tips worked perfectly only 1 on the bus with 2 seats to myself lol the mean face look out the window worked perfectly lol
I live in Eugene, OR and the Greyhound station is smack in the middle of downtown where all the homeless and *ahem* mentally unstable people are. During my commute to work on the city bus, I always see that this greyhound station is either a) deserted or b) has a few homeless people sleeping outside by the entrance.
Since have been older try not look like a easy target or prey. Just want to Injoy the Trip. when was much younger always traveled in uniform and was prepared for the unexpected. Thank you for travel safety tips.
GreyhoundGURU well I work at a job that don't give raises or vacation days. so I won't realy be traveling. but when I run away, lol, this is a good to know video. I'm 47, have a couple of older kids at home that work but just out side the house, not in it. my husband gets to take days off. got to go to wyioming to visit his family this summer. not me. so ya, that's why I have to run away. for just a while. Maybe. thank you.
Things changed so much, I was on a bunch of Long Distance Greyhound rides from the early seventies and even in the 90s a couple times, never was too worried and never had an incident. But then We didn't have phones. Computers, or anything like that to worry about. I'd keep My Wallet firmly in my front pocket and could sleep some. Everything has gotten so bad now though, with Crime and crazy people with guns and things. A Greyhound trip can be so nice seeing all the scenery and all compared to a Plane ride.
Thinking of going to Knoxville tn from Florida and unfortunately it will be tempting to pull out my iPad.I plan on just packing a backpack and buy whatever i need once i get there
Dude I love your videos! I did the greyhound from Worcester Massachusetts to Los Angeles California 4 times Ughhhhh… I do notice the ride in from Los Angeles back to about Kansas City,it’s where you get most of the troublemakers. Some of the bus stations are horrible!!! Phoenix the worst one. Scary. My bus broke down in New Mexico and we had to wait 5 hours for another bus. It’s very interesting though lol 🤷♂️ peace ✌️
+Annie yichansoo Travelling on Christmas might make for an easier trip since most people will already be at their destination. I wouldn't be too nervous, Greyhound is way better in that part of the country than others
By any chance did your ticket say you had one or two transfers? This is because I don’t know if that means the bus will stop and drop off everyone at another stop then have a second bus take everyone to the destination.
Taking a trip from Mobile to Auburn (AL) tomorrow morning... I’m nervous, but the Lord is watching over me. I have an iPad that I listen to music on. I plan to keep it in my backpack and listen to music with wireless headphones. What if you fall asleep on the bus?
Subscribed. You have a cool personality i've been watching your videos all night, you really do come off like a Guru haha. Plan on going to visit my significant other in San Fran this summer & entering a video game tournament in Vegas. I'll be going there from Virginia. Honestly terrified because i'm a pretty timid looking guy and i'll be going alone. Bus is honestly the cheapest way for me but i'm looking at it as a cool experience!
I think that's the best way to look at your Greyhound trip - as an experience. That way even if it's not a perfect trip you won't get mad. It'll just be part of the adventure! Sounds like some fun trips you have lined up btw. You have to REALLY care about someone to take the bus cross country to visit them lol. Don't worry too much about being timid looking, just put on your best 'leave me alone face', and use regular common sense as far as safety and you should be fine. Thanks for the sub!
This is a great video and also a great tip i been ridding the greyhound here in there from Pensacola Florida to new orleans and i never have a issue i have been waiting to go out to Charlotte nc for the longest and still haven't been there yet how bad is it in Atlanta Georgia at the bus station i heard alot of stuff happend at anytime and whenever i found out something on youtube or on the news that something had happened over there it makes me of not wanted to go because from Pensacola fl to Charlotte nc you have to transfer in Atalanta Georgia to get on another bus to head to Charlotte
My daughter and i are leaving today from Detroit to Florida. I saw most of all your videos and tips. Thank you so much! Still nervous though... i have a backpack and one luggage. Also i want to take my sling pack as my purse. Wud that be a problem?
I would recommend sitting as close to the driver as possible. You can even let the driver know that you are travelling alone and that you would appreciate he/she keeping an eye on you. Most drivers are pretty helpful
The worst station I find is Atlanta its in one of the worst parts of town alot of gangs hang around that area + cops are always being called there for some reason mostly due to Drugs I always avoid having to go through there if possible I travel by greyhound yearly to Oklahoma from Ocala and normally the route it takes is west never goes through there but I always look at different options when traveling especially Dallas TX I don't mind it during daytime but at night no just no lol
Homeland Security was at the Atlanta bus station when I travelled through one time. They had drug dogs and machine guns and were searching passengers, it was kinda scary but it made the time pass by quickly on my layover lol
On my twice-annual treks on Greyhound from Arkansas to Phoenix and back, I frequently encounter Homeland Security in both Albuquerque and Oklahoma City. Also, it's almost a guarantee for the Tucumcari, NM police to board the bus on our meal stop there. Interstate 40, it turns out, is a huge drug smuggling route. I'll be honest with you - I don't mind at all. The more police presence, the safer I feel. After 9/11, things are just different for all modes of travel. I'm getting older, and I don't fit into any of their "suspect criteria" or behavior, so I've never had a problem with them.
Love your videos. I amtravelling to Atlanta from U.K. on business and thought I would do a little travelling via greyhound as I don't like driving by myself. How dangerous is Atlanta greyhound bus station during the day?
I've been to the Atlanta bus station on a number of occasions, if you stay inside you should be pretty safe. There are lots of other passengers around plus security. But I wouldn't wander around too much outside, it's in a kind of sketchy part of town.
we be much safer on a yellow bus traveling across the country than we would be on a alluminem tin can built greyound bus, these buses can not survive a crash putting us in terrible danger on the highway
Thank you for this Im currently in Orange County renting and I work for myself I want to travel to Oregon and get over the fear I have of travelling maybe stop near Red bluff first get a rental there my concern was safety so basically not much to worry about? I figure I could always carry pepper spray and the bus driver will call someone if theres issues of violence etc on the bus right?
Yeah if you have a major issue on the bus the driver will take action. If you are at the station then there should be a Greyhound employee around to help. Things can happen on the bus but it's not anywhere near as bad as people make it seem.
+Nemo Smith I would say mainly check email type connection. The Wi-Fi is usually better at most stations but that depends on a bunch of different factors like station location and the amount of people using it.
I'll be traveling on the Greyhound bus in June from Fort Lauderdale to Myrtle Beach by myself. I'm pretty nervous is there anything in particular u can tell me about that route or the stations on the route? For example if Im using the bathroom on the bus is it best to take my carry on bag with me? I think there will be a transfer in Savannah. I like ur videos btw very informative.
I've been to a few of the stations on your route like Orlando and Jacksonville and they were pretty good stations with good staff. No worries there. I'm pretty sure I've been through Savannah too but I can't remember anything about the station. As far as your question about carry ons when you use the bus bathroom, I think it depends on the situation. On most buses you are ok leaving your bag if you are just going to the bathroom especially if your bag is in the overhead rack. But if there are some sketchy people sitting around it might be a different story. You just have to feel out the situation.
Hey guru making my 1st greyhound trip soon, how long have you been taking the grayhound? Also do you experience being pulled over very often, an is carrying easily breakable items a bad idea on a bus like glasses?
I've been riding Greyhound since like 2010. I really ramped up mu riding in the past few years though. As for your questions, no I haven't experienced being pulled over very often and I wouldn't recommend taking breakables on the bus. Even if you take them in a carry on bag the bus moves around a lot and hits bumps, potholes etc so they might get broken.
are there outlets on the bus? and this will be my first time ever catching a bus for a 7 hour trip. you say a carryone under 25 pounds is allowed. is my pocket book ok to bring on as well.
Yes there are outlets on most Greyhound buses. Some of them are by the windows, and on most of the newer buses they are on the back of the seat in front of you. Don't count on them always working though. I've been on alot of buses where one side of the bus had power to the outlets and the other side didn't. If you need to charge your phone your best bet is to do it before you get on the bus or at a station. It's ok to bring a pocket book in addition to your carry on bag. Greyhound isn't that strict about carry on luggage, as long as your can get it in the overhead bin or under your seat or around you without taking up anyone else's space you are ok
Yes I've been on that route. I don't remember having any issues except that the Dallas station was kind of sketchy at night. But that was only because I had to walk around the surrounding area to my hotel lol.
No, weapons aren't allowed on Greyhound even with a concealed carry permit. What other questions do you have? Check out my other videos and if you still haven't found out the answers feel free to ask me and I'll try to answer them for you.
When I'm at the station DEFINITELY. When I'm on the bus it depends on the vibe I'm getting from the people around me. If there is someone trustworthy sitting near me that I know will watch my bag I might leave it while I run to the bathroom in the rear of the bus. If not I will take it in the bathroom with me. Typically I try to avoid having to use the bathroom on the bus though lol.
Thanks. I'm not sure how big the bathroom is in the bus but I will sit up front if I can thanks to your videos! I'm sure I'll have to use the bathroom on bus after looking at the schedule lol.
No I've never been to the Charleston, WV greyhound station. One of the things I do before I go on a trip and I want to know about a bus station is Google the station. I can sometimes find reviews about the station as well as it's hours of operation and whether it has food services inside. Then I go to 'Street view' and it lets me see what the surrounding area is like. You can usually tell by the buildings that are nearby what kind of neighborhood the station is in. This lets me know whether it's a station I'm gonna want to stay inside at or whether I can wander around outside.
There's really no way to guarantee that you can sit together on a Greyhound bus. In fact with a group that big in all probability you won't be able to sit together, unless you can get on the bus first and claim 5 seats together. If you are travelling with small children you might use them as an excuse to get on the bus first and then you might be able to all sit together. Some stations will load passengers with children first, some won't. But it's worth a try.
hello please help! im planning to travel the greyhound bus from washington to maine, im a female young adult, do you have any further tips to how i can stay safe?
I think I covered most of the major points. If you have any specific questions you would like more in depth answers to I would be happy to try my best to help.
It really depends on your own personal preferences. If you want the cheapest methods Greyhound will probably be your best bet. If you want to get there quickly flying is probably the better option. Weapons aren't allowed on the Greyhound bus but if it's like a small pocket knife I don't think it would be a big deal.
this is my first time on a greyhound bus I'm going from nc to Maine (ME) ill be in Va Boston and new York have u been there are they ok if so? can I carry a book bag and what your tips on being a laptop on the bus? also the can I skype while on the?
Yes you can carry a book bag. That's usually what I use as a carry on. When it comes to a laptop on the bus there are plugins if you need to charge it and there is wifi. But you probably won't be able to skype. The wifi is limited at best and all streaming sites are blocked.
I've been through St. Louis a couple of times on the Greyhound bus and I've never had any problems. It's right down the road from the Scottrade Center where the Blues play which is kinda cool. It's open 24 hours so you shouldn't have any trouble with your transfer. I recommend bringing a little cash for buying food and for the vending machines. Other than that I think a credit card is safer.
Chicago was pretty sketchy too. And I've never been there but people tell me that Detroit can be kinda scary as well. As a rule of thumb I would say the more dangerous the city the more dangerous the greyhound bus station lol
The Orlando, FL station is OK. From what I've seen it's kept pretty clean on the inside and the staff has always been helpful when I was there. It's not in the greatest part of town though so I always stay near the station when I'm there. Very easy station to catch a cab or a Uber from and there are lots of nearby hotels.
Orlando bus station is the scariest place. when you step out to take a smoke, you want to stay next to the wall of the bus station right outside of the station..do not, DO NOT step out the main street in the back of the station because you will be greeted by Orlando's toughest asking you for a smoke or money and their are deals being made there ...be careful.
