Budget Travel - $5 Greyhound preboard

So I just got an email about Greyhound's new $5 preboard program. Normally I think all preboard programs are a rip off. However since greyhound tickets are unreserved in theory the entire bus could preboard. Thus those who have regular tickets are screwed.

If you know what you are doing and see a really long line for the next bus, paying the $5 could be the difference between making it on the trip or waiting for a later bus.

I got it too. I thought it was from Southwest Airlines at first glance. ;)

Interesting - I wonder if Greyhound caps the number of 'pre-board' tickets it sells? What would happen if the majority of folks bought 'pre-board'? At some point, it starts losing value.

I fly Southwest a lot. A few years ago, the 'pre-boards' were really getting out of hand. You would sometimes see 5 or 6 adults all 'pre-boarding' to accompany a single minor. Eventually, Southwest cracked down. Even now, I sometimes see as many as 20 people 'pre-board', and they haven't even started selling the business 'elite' tickets yet.

So I just got an email about Greyhound's new $5 preboard program. Normally I think all preboard programs are a rip off. However since greyhound tickets are unreserved in theory the entire bus could preboard. Thus those who have regular tickets are screwed.

If you know what you are doing and see a really long line for the next bus, paying the $5 could be the difference between making it on the trip or waiting for a later bus.

It probably wouldn't have any real impact on your travel plans. I was concerned myself when Greyhound Canada introduced this option several years ago, and asked the sales agent what would happen if the trip was oversold. "We'll just use a second bus", was her reply.

I'd imagine that the same would hold true for busy US routes, although I can't imagine how they'd add capacity in more remote regions. That being said, I never had a problem, with many trips taken, of being ousted by pre-boarders. To many bus travellers, an extra $5 is a big deal, and they simply won't go for it.

I travel Philly-NYC a lot and most of the time, Greyhound doesn't add a second bus. there are buses every hour and if there are more people for a bus than can fit on, then they just wait an hour for the next bus. because of the uncertainty, when i have to be in NYC for certain (catching a flights, etc), i just take a train. pre-boarding might be a good alternative to that.

the real issue is greyhound shouldn't operate on an unreserved system. The fact that they print bus#s, dates, and times on their tix is very dishonest.

true. but i think the problem for greyhound is if they move to "reserved" system, then they are responsible for having every bus running as scheduled (like an airline). that makes them very dependent on road conditions, traffic, etc and i don't think they want to have that kind of liability. there's been many situations when the bus just never shows up (due to being stuck in traffic or who knows why) and everyone just goes on the next scheduled bus. they could hold buses in reserve, but then tickets wouldn't cost $10 between NYC-Philly. i don't know what a good solution is. i take greyhound for what it is - very cheap, unreliable way to get to your destination eventually. if i want certainty and a bit of comfort, i'd have to pay $70-$100 for train (NYC-Philly). the price difference is worth the hassle for me. but when i have to get there 100% on time, i take the train.

the real issue is greyhound shouldn't operate on an unreserved system. The fact that they print bus#s, dates, and times on their tix is very dishonest.
Greyhound has got to be one of the most unreliable forms of transportation, especially if you are trying to board the bus in the middle of a route, especially one with infrequent service (like 1-2 buses/day).

Their policies are not fair, either. Often, you have an nonrefundable ticket that is invalid if *you* miss the bus. If they fail to carry you, they have no liability (I think you can get your money back, but that's it).

true. but i think the problem for greyhound is if they move to "reserved" system, then they are responsible for having every bus running as scheduled (like an airline).
I don't think this changes their level of responsibility. Right now they ask people to book for a specific bus. They could very easily simply stop selling tickets for a given bus after a certain number of tickets are sold.

but then tickets wouldn't cost $10 between NYC-Philly.
Have they recently slashed prices to compete with the Chinatown buses, etc?
Last I checked, fares weren't that cheap. (Indeed, their website shows fares of $38/$25 non-refundable for one-way WAS-PHL.)

true. but i think the problem for greyhound is if they move to "reserved" system, then they are responsible for having every bus running as scheduled (like an airline). that makes them very dependent on road conditions, traffic, etc and i don't think they want to have that kind of liability. there's been many situations when the bus just never shows up (due to being stuck in traffic or who knows why) and everyone just goes on the next scheduled bus. they could hold buses in reserve, but then tickets wouldn't cost $10 between NYC-Philly. i don't know what a good solution is. i take greyhound for what it is - very cheap, unreliable way to get to your destination eventually. if i want certainty and a bit of comfort, i'd have to pay $70-$100 for train (NYC-Philly). the price difference is worth the hassle for me. but when i have to get there 100% on time, i take the train.

Last I checked, airlines do not always run on time. The problem with the unreserved bus is that if they fill the bus on stop one, the people who bought tickets from stop two would be screwed.

Greyhound has got to be one of the most unreliable forms of transportation, especially if you are trying to board the bus in the middle of a route, especially one with infrequent service (like 1-2 buses/day).

Their policies are not fair, either. Often, you have an nonrefundable ticket that is invalid if *you* miss the bus. If they fail to carry you, they have no liability (I think you can get your money back, but that's it).


I don't think this changes their level of responsibility. Right now they ask people to book for a specific bus. They could very easily simply stop selling tickets for a given bus after a certain number of tickets are sold.


Have they recently slashed prices to compete with the Chinatown buses, etc?
Last I checked, fares weren't that cheap. (Indeed, their website shows fares of $38/$25 non-refundable for one-way WAS-PHL.)

yes, this was in response to Chinatown buses. and even though tickets are non-refundable, they are good for a year. so, much looser than airplane tickets. maybe it's just for a competitive NE routes. I routinely book tickets for a time and then get on a later bus - never had a problem. there is some attempt to leave seats empty for a second stop although it's not always enough.

For South Texas travelers, Greyhound has contracted out their San Antonio-Laredo buses to Autobuses Americanos, at least for evening routes. These buses arrive from Dallas and Houston and can be FULL of Mexicans returning home. Last weekend I was lucky to get a seat without paying any fee, but there was no room for my luggage below. Paying 5 extra bucks won't do anything about THAT.