Greyhound Lines
Encyclopedia
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier
Common carrier
A common carrier in common-law countries is a person or company that transports goods or people for any person or company and that is responsible for any possible loss of the goods during transport...

 of passengers by bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

 serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...

. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,361 at the 2010 census. The city was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. U.S...

, USA, in 1914 and incorporated as "Greyhound Corporation" in 1929. Today, it is headquartered at 350 North St. Paul Street in Downtown
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...

 Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

, and under the ownership of British transport firm FirstGroup, which operates Greyhound as an independent subsidiary, and a division of FirstGroup America.

Early years

Carl Eric Wickman was born in Sweden in 1887. In 1905 he moved to the United States where he was working in a mine as a drill operator in Alice, Minnesota, until he was laid off in 1914. In the same year, he became a Hupmobile
Hupmobile
The Hupmobile was an automobile built from 1909 through 1940 by the Hupp Motor Company, which was located at 345 Bellevue Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Its first car, the Model 20, was introduced to the public at the Detroit Auto Show in February 1909...

 salesman in Hibbing
Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,361 at the 2010 census. The city was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. U.S...

, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

. He proved unable to sell the car. In 1914, using his remaining vehicle, a 7-passenger car, he began a bus service with Andy (Bus Andy) Anderson in where he transported iron ore miners from Hibbing to Alice (known for its saloons) at 15 cents a ride.

In 1915, Wickman joined forces with Ralph Bogan, who was running a similar service from Hibbing to Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...

. The name of the new organization was the Mesaba Transportation Company, and it made US$8,000 in profit in its first year.

By the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 Wickman owned 18 buses, and was making an annual profit of $40,000. In 1922, Wickman joined forces with Orville Caesar, the owner of the Superior White Bus Lines. Four years later, Wickman reached an agreement with two West Coast operations, the Pickwick Lines and the Pioneer Yelloway System.

In 1926, Wickman's bus operations became known as the Greyhound Lines. Ed Stone, who set up a new addition from Superior to Wausau, Wisconsin - during his inaugural run, passing through a small northern Wisconsin town saw the reflection of the '20s era bus in a store window - it reminded him of a greyhound dog and he adopted that name for that segment of the "Blue Goose Lines", as the Wickman lines were known: later the entire system became Greyhound. Stone later became General Sales Manager of GM's Yellow Truck and Coach division, which built Greyhound buses. (At the Greyhound Bus Museum in Hibbing, a plaque displays this information.) Wickman, who was president of the company, continued to expand it, and, by 1927, his buses were making transcontinental trips from California to New York. In 1928, Greyhound had a gross annual income of US$6 million.

Wickman's business suffered during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

, and, by 1931, was over US$1 million in debt. However, with the improvement in the economy, The Greyhound Corporation began to prosper again. In 1935, Wickman was able to announce record profits of US$8 million. By the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the company had 4,750 stations and nearly 10,000 employees.

Wickman retired as president of The Greyhound Corporation in 1946, being replaced by his long-time partner, Orville Caesar. Wickman died at the age of 67 in 1954.

Postwar expansion and diversification

After World War II, and the building of the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...

 beginning in 1956, automobile ownership and travel became a preferred mode of travel in the United States. Along with a similar downward trend in public transportation in general, ridership on Greyhound and Trailways
Trailways Transportation System
The Trailways Transportation System is an American group of 80 independent bus companies that have entered into a franchising agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.- History :...

 bus routes began a long decline.

Greyhound leadership saw the trend, and began significant changes including using the profitable bus operations to invest in other industries. By the 1970s, Greyhound had moved its headquarters to Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

, and was a large and diversified company, with holdings in everything from the Armour
Armour and Company
Armour & Company was an American slaughterhouse and meatpacking company founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1867 by the Armour brothers, led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company was Chicago's most important business and helped make the city and its Union Stock Yards the center of the...

 meat-packing company (which in turn owned the popular Dial
Dial (company)
The Dial Corporation, a subsidiary of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA , is a manufacturer of personal-care and household-cleaning products based in Scottsdale, Arizona....

 deodorant soap brand), acquired in 1970; Traveller's Express money orders, MCI
Motor Coach Industries
Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

 bus manufacturing company, and even airliner leasing. Indeed, Greyhound had entered a time of great change, even beginning to hire African American and female drivers in the late seventies.

For many young people from Europe, Greyhound was the way they got to know America because of a special unlimited mileage offer: "99 days for US$99" (equal to $ today) or, in other words, a dollar a day (equal to $ today), anytime, anyplace, and anywhere.

Greyhound established the Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line a subsidiary of Premier Cruises, was a cruise line that was headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was at one time licensed as the official cruise line of Walt Disney World and used the trademark "The Big Red Boat" based on the color scheme of some of its ships...

 in 1983. It would last until 2000, and at one time billed itself as the "Official Cruise Line of Walt Disney World".

In late 1984, Greyhound had a major driver's strike, typified as bitter, with one fatality in Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...

. By the time contract negotiations were due again, three years later, the bus line had been spun off from the parent company to new owners. This resulted in Greyhound Lines becoming solely a bus transportation company headed by Fred Currey, a former executive with the largest member of the National Trailways Bus System. Greyhound's corporate headquarters then relocated to Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

. The old parent changed its name to the Dial Corporation.

Spin-off from Dial Corporation

Under new ownership in 1987, led by Currey, Greyhound Lines acquired Trailways, Inc. in June of that year (formerly Continental Trailways), the largest member of the rival National Trailways Bus System
Trailways Transportation System
The Trailways Transportation System is an American group of 80 independent bus companies that have entered into a franchising agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.- History :...

, effectively consolidating a national bus service. Greyhound was required by the ICC in their action approving the merger, to maintain coordinated schedules with other scheduled service operators in the U.S.

Three years later, there was another costly strike beginning in March 1990. It was during this strike, combined with the loss of diversification and strength of the former parent company, and labor-law violations, that Greyhound had to file for bankruptcy, in June 1990. This strike was as bitter as the strike of the 1980s, with violence against both strikers and their replacement workers. One striker in California was killed by a Greyhound bus hired by a strikebreaker. At the same time, Greyhound was having to contend with the rise of low-cost airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

s like Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...

, which reduced further the market for long-distance inter-city bus transportation. The strike would not be settled for 38 months, under terms favorable to Greyhound. While the National Labor Relations Board had awarded damages for unfair labor practices to the strikers, this liability was discharged during bankruptcy reorganization.

In 1997, Greyhound Lines acquired Carolina Trailways, one of the largest members of the National Trailways Bus System
Trailways Transportation System
The Trailways Transportation System is an American group of 80 independent bus companies that have entered into a franchising agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.- History :...

. Following the acquisition, most of the other independent members of the Trailways System began interlining cooperatively with Greyhound, discontinued their regular route services, diversified into charters and tours or went out of business.

Laidlaw ownership and reorganization of the route network

In 1999, Burlington, Ontario
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...

-based transportation conglomerate Laidlaw Inc.
Laidlaw
Laidlaw, organized as Laidlaw International, Inc. , was a predecessor corporation of First Student , a US subsidiary of the Scottish transport firm FirstGroup plc...

 acquired Greyhound Lines, Inc. (U.S. operations) including Carolina Trailways and other Greyhound affiliates. It had previously acquired Greyhound Canada.

After incurring heavy losses through its investments in Greyhound Lines and other parts of its diversified business, Laidlaw Inc. filed for protection under both U.S. and Canadian Bankruptcy laws in June 2001 .

Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...

-based Laidlaw International, Inc. listed its common shares on the New York Stock Exchange (Ticker: LI), on February 10, 2003, and emerged from re-organization on June 23, 2003, as the successor to Laidlaw Inc. In the wake of this bankruptcy filing, Greyhound would exit a number of areas, particularly rural areas, turning routes in those areas over to local operators (often with government subsidies), particularly in the Plains states, parts of the upper Midwest such as Wisconsin, and the Pacific Northwest. During these route changes in 2004 and 2005, a number of routes were eliminated altogether, most notably the Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...

 route between Chicago and Seattle.

The company competes with California Shuttle Bus
California Shuttle Bus
California Shuttle Bus is a transportation company providing passenger service in California.-History:The company launched its services in 2003....

  and Megabus among other US bus operators. It also competes with Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 and the airlines.

FirstGroup ownership

On February 7, 2007, FirstGroup plc
FirstGroup plc
FirstGroup plc is a public transport company, registered in Scotland at its headquarters in Aberdeen, operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Canada and the United States...

 of Aberdeen, Scotland, agreed to purchase Laidlaw International for US$3.6 billion (£1.9 billion). The deal closed on September 30, 2007. Although its original intentions was merely to buy the school bus part of Laidlaw, it later decided to retain the Greyhound part, too. The Greyhound name has been retained by FirstGroup; the brands of its subsidiaries, however, are not being retained and will disappear as buses are retired.

Under the ownership of FirstGroup, other concerns have also been addressed. Greyhound had come under criticism for its bus assignment practices. Although bus tickets have times and dates printed on them, seating is not guaranteed, and is 'first-come, first-served'. Greyhound will add additional "sections" (buses) in periods of high demand, but the threshold required to trigger an additional section varies. Passengers may have to wait for the next bus departure time.
Shortly after the sale to FirstGroup closed, Greyhound began a program in select markets, most notably in the northeastern United States, where riders could reserve a seat for an additional US$5. However, the US$5 fee would have to be paid at the terminal, even if the ticket was bought online, and only a limited number of seats could be reserved.

Also under FirstGroup ownership, Greyhound has sought to improve its image, spending US$60 million to refurbish many terminals, add new buses, and staff terminals with associates who are able to help those who have questions about the bus system. Greyhound is initiating an advertising campaign with Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners is an independent advertising agency located in Sausalito, California.-History:Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners was founded in 1993 when John Butler and Mike Shine became the first creative team to leave Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to form their own agency...

 aimed at attracting 18-24 year olds and Hispanics. As a result, after the FirstGroup acquisition, Greyhound began advertising as "The New Greyhound".

The "New Greyhound" also saw the introduction of a new livery, with a navy blue and dark gray base (such as #8879 at the top of the article), with no white in the livery, which is currently in use on the Prevost
Prevost Car
Prevost is a Quebec, Canada-based manufacturer of touring coaches and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions.The company now owns Nova Bus and in turn is owned by Volvo Bus Corporation.- History :...

 fleet originating from New York City on routes to Toronto, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 (and in Canada within the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

), and which will be introduced in the rest of the United States in the future. In addition, the service saw a change in the logo for Greyhound. Buses in the new livery, like those in the BoltBus
BoltBus
BoltBus is a bus line operating in the northeastern United States. It is a 50/50 venture between Greyhound Lines and Peter Pan Bus Lines providing service between New York City and other cities in the northeastern United States, utilizing the existing operating authority of Greyhound Lines...

 service, also in the Northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...

, are also equipped with Wi-Fi, power outlets, and larger seat pitches, which reduce the seat count to 51, like buses in BoltBus service, making the livery the only material difference between those buses.

In 2009, the Greyhound brand, along with the new livery introduced out of New York, was exported to the United Kingdom, with parent FirstGroup using the Greyhound nameplate
Greyhound UK
Greyhound UK is a low-cost intercity scheduled coach service in the United Kingdom, owned by FirstGroup and based on the long-established Greyhound service in the USA....

 name for services designed to compete against its primary competitors in the British intercity bus travel market, National Express and Stagecoach's
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...

 Megabus
Megabus (United Kingdom)
Megabus is a UK coach service operated by Stagecoach Group. It started in 2003 and as of February 2010 operated 19 UK coach routes serving 41 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. Some services link with Megatrain services which are also operated by Stagecoach...

. The first routes there operated from London to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

 and Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

.

Partnership and competition

Greyhound's scheduled services compete with the private automobile, low-cost airlines and other intercity coach companies. Greyhound is one of the major operators of Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoach service even though the two are competitors in some markets. The service compensates for lost intercity rail service in many instances and provides access to locations away from Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

's rail lines. In some cases the added convenience of through-ticketing is available for connecting passengers.

Discount services

Since the purchase of Greyhound Lines by FirstGroup, Greyhound has initiated two discount bus services, both radiating from New York City and servicing major cities in the northeastern United States, both of which began operations in 2008 and are operated in conjunction with other traditional operators. These services are designed to compete with Chinatown bus
Chinatown bus lines
Chinatown bus lines are discount intercity bus services that have been established in the Chinatown communities of the East Coast of the United States since 1998. Similar Chinese American-run bus services are cropping up on the West Coast...

 carriers, and more directly with Megabus. Both services offer Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...

 and outlets into which equipment can be plugged at every seat. Each service is offered in conjunction with another local bus carrier.

NeOn

On May 29, 2008, a service based on the Megabus model used in the United Kingdom and United States and also the BoltBus
BoltBus
BoltBus is a bus line operating in the northeastern United States. It is a 50/50 venture between Greyhound Lines and Peter Pan Bus Lines providing service between New York City and other cities in the northeastern United States, utilizing the existing operating authority of Greyhound Lines...

 service used by Greyhound in the US, was initiated to and from Toronto in association with Trailways of New York
Trailways of New York
Trailways of New York is a bus company in New York operating under the Adirondack Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways, and New York Trailways brands, primarily along the Albany to Buffalo corridor...

, operating between street stops at Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...

 in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

 and the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The service was originally designed to attract a new demographic of traveler who had long ago stopped taking intercity buses but who had grown comfortable with the low cost and convenience of the Chinatown bus
Chinatown bus lines
Chinatown bus lines are discount intercity bus services that have been established in the Chinatown communities of the East Coast of the United States since 1998. Similar Chinese American-run bus services are cropping up on the West Coast...

 services in the northeastern US. NeOn was initially set up to directly compete with the Megabus M24 and M26 routes operating twice daily between New York and Toronto making very few stops (Buffalo twice-daily, and to Syracuse once-daily).

Poor performance led Greyhound to make adjustments to the service until the NeOn name became purely superficial, a marketing name for what was otherwise exactly the same intercity local bus service that had always existed. Many departure times are now available as a result, though travel times have increased considerably. A "NeOn" bus will often physically be a New York Trailways bus, albeit with Wifi, making stops in, for example, Scranton, Binghamton, Ithaca, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo Airport, Buffalo, Customs/Border, Fort Erie, St. Catharines, Mississauga and finally Toronto. The name NeOn is now even used on completely different routes such as to Plattsburgh and Montreal, further reducing the brand differentiation. Many runs also terminate at the Trailways gates at the Port Authority rather than the former streetside drop off at Penn Station. With the loss of more direct, customized travel has come a reversion to the more traditional demographic of local bus traveler, the very sort of traveler that NeOn was supposed to grow beyond.

The service continues to be a joint operation between sister companies Greyhound Lines and Greyhound Canada, and Trailways of New York
Trailways of New York
Trailways of New York is a bus company in New York operating under the Adirondack Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways, and New York Trailways brands, primarily along the Albany to Buffalo corridor...

, the major inter-city bus carrier within most of New York State.

BoltBus

In March 2008, Greyhound announced a new service titled BoltBus into the Boston-NYC
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

-DC
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 megalopolis, modeled on the Megabus system in use at the time in Chicago metropolitan area and in the United Kingdom, offering fares as low as US$1, with lowest fares depending on how far in advance a trip is booked and demand for the trip, with fares increasing for trips booked closer to departure. On each trip, one seat is sold for US$1, with prices increasing up to a maximum of US$25 for a one way trip. The service began on March 27, 2008, with a New York City-Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 route, with service to Boston and Philadelphia following soon after. Offered in partnership with Peter Pan Bus Lines
Peter Pan Bus Lines
Peter Pan Bus Lines is a long-distance bus carrier headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. It operates in the northeastern United States. Over four million passengers per year travel on Peter Pan's bus routes....

, it (along with NeOn described above, offered in conjunction with Trailways of New York
Trailways of New York
Trailways of New York is a bus company in New York operating under the Adirondack Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways, and New York Trailways brands, primarily along the Albany to Buffalo corridor...

) competes directly with Coach USA's
Coach USA
Coach USA LLC is a holding company for various American transportation service providers providing scheduled intercity bus service, local and commuter bus transit, city sightseeing, tour, yellow school bus, and charter bus service...

 own discount express bus service, Megabus.

At the time of its introduction, the BoltBus fleet had features not on mainline Greyhound buses. Greyhound buses in the Northeast United States that are painted navy blue have been reformatted to match the BoltBus fleet (except for the paint).

Notable incidents and accidents

Below is a list of major incidents and accidents on Greyhound buses and buses of subsidiaries in the United States.
  • August 4, 1952: In Greyhound's deadliest accident, two Greyhound buses collided head-on
    Head-on collision
    A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.-Rail transport:...

     along the then-U.S. Route 81
    U.S. Route 81
    U.S. Route 81 is one of the many United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the US Department of Agriculture Bureau of Public Roads....

     near Waco, Texas
    Waco, Texas
    Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....

    . The fuel tanks of both buses then ruptured, bursting into flames. Of the 56 persons aboard both coaches, 28 were killed, including both drivers.
  • May 9, 1980: A freight ship collided with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, resulting in several vehicles including a Greyhound bus falling into Tampa Bay
    Tampa Bay
    Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...

    . All 26 people on the bus perished, along with nine others. This is the largest loss of life on a single Greyhound coach to date.
  • October 3, 2001: At approximately 4:15 a.m. local time, a passenger, Damir Igric attacked the driver of his bus, attempting to slit his throat, and causing the bus to crash near Manchester, Tennessee
    Manchester, Tennessee
    Manchester is a city in Coffee County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,102 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Coffee County...

    , killing Igric and five other passengers and injuring 32 others. As the incident occurred weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Greyhound shut down its entire system as soon as the company learned of the incident for fear that it may have been part of a larger co-ordinated attack. After investigation by the company and the FBI
    Federal Bureau of Investigation
    The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

    , it was confirmed that Igric had acted alone, and service resumed later that afternoon. After the incident, Greyhound bus stations increased security, though not nearly to the same level as airports or train stations.
  • September 30, 2002: Arturo Martinez Tapia attacked another Greyhound driver near Fresno, California
    Fresno, California
    Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...

    , resulting in two passenger deaths after the bus then rolled off an embankment and crashed. Following this attack, driver shields were installed on most Greyhound buses that now prevent passengers from directly touching the driver while the bus is in motion, even if the shield is forced open. On buses without the shield, the seats behind the driver are normally off-limits.

Security

Increasingly, concern has been given to bus security. As a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

, train and airplane security have been substantially increased, but the same increase has not been provided to bus security. Baggage is neither inspected, nor identification checked. Greyhound says that security wands have been deployed on buses, but they do not appear to be routinely used.

Greyhound announced in a press conference, in 2007, that a pilot program to test various security measures would be implemented at select stations and on select coaches starting later in the year. Some of the stations included in this project are in Boston, Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

, and St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

. Measures may include:
  • Requiring photo ID to be displayed by all adult passengers prior to boarding. Minors, in accordance with Greyhound's policy, must either be accompanied by a parent or a legal guardian, or obtain permission from one to travel, and when unaccompanied, have restrictions on traveling.
  • Passengers may have their luggage visually searched. Devices similar to those used at airports may be used to check passengers and luggage, prior to boarding buses, for various banned items, including firearm
    Firearm
    A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...

    s, knives, tools, sports equipment, explosives, or other hazardous materials.
  • On all newer coaches, operators are shielded from passengers while the coach is in motion. A gate prevents passengers from entering the driver's area. Though the gate does not prevent an emergency exit, it will continue to shield the driver if opened by a passenger, while the coach is in motion. Shields were installed after two attacks on drivers in the early 2000s. In the absence of a driver shield, passengers are normally not permitted to occupy the immediate seats behind the operator.
  • Installing video surveillance on coaches and at stations.
  • Installing GPS
    Global Positioning System
    The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...

     tracking devices on select coaches. In addition to providing emergency location of the vehicle, this may also alert supervisors of unsafe driving behavior on part of the operator, including evidence of speeding or reckless/careless driving.
  • Operators, at their own discretion, now reserve the right to prohibit or limit the use of cell phones
    Mobile phone
    A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...

    , pagers, etc. while the coach is in motion.
  • Greyhound already prohibits photographing, videotaping, audiotaping, or otherwise exposing any part of the system while on board its own coaches or within its system-operated stations, unless permission is obtained, although this is often ignored by passengers.


Greyhound states that it cooperates with the Transportation Security Administration
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....

 directives, and some stations have been the target of random sweeps by the TSA. Federal immigration officials have also targeted Greyhound buses for immigration sweeps. Despite this, some minimum security Federal felons are transported on Greyhound between prisons, despite the objections of Greyhound.

Greyhound Community Reflections Mural Program

Greyhound Lines and the National Council for La Raza (NCLR) sponsor the Greyhound Community Reflections Mural Program, in which Latino American student artists paint murals reflecting the contributions of Latino Americans. These are posted in Greyhound Stations across the United States. The bus line has had three painted in Texas by 2003.

Fleet

  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     102D(W)3
  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     102DL(W)3
  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     MC-12
  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     D4500
  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     D4505
  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     G4500
  • Prevost Car
    Prevost Car
    Prevost is a Quebec, Canada-based manufacturer of touring coaches and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions.The company now owns Nova Bus and in turn is owned by Volvo Bus Corporation.- History :...

     X3-45 (northeastern United States)
  • Setra
    Setra
    Setra is a Neu-Ulm, Germany-based manufacturer of commercial buses and touring coaches, and recently a subsidiary of Daimler AG.The name "Setra" comes from "Selbsttragend"...

     S217HDH (on lease)

Past coaches with nicknames

  • General Motors
    General Motors
    General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

     PD-4501 Scenicruiser
    PD-4501 Scenicruiser
    The GMC PD-4501 Scenicruiser, manufactured exclusively for Greyhound Lines, was a three-axle monocoque two-level coach used by Greyhound from 1954 to the 1970s...

  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     MC 5A
  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     MC 6 Supercruiser
  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     MC 7 Scenicruiser Super 7
  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     MC 8 Americruiser (aka Crusader)
  • Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries
    Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...

     MC 9 Americruiser II (aka Crusader II)

Later models such as the A series and the MC-12 bore only the Americruiser name. MCI D and G series, Prevost, and Van Hool coaches coaches do not carry nicknames.
Greyhound also operated Eagle's
Eagle Bus
Eagle Bus, in full Silver Eagle Bus Manufacturing, Inc., is an American bus manufacturing company with a long and interesting history. During its production of over four decades, some 8,000 Eagle coaches were built in four different countries on two continents, and they had been the trademark of...

, which were usually thought of by the riding public as part of Trailways
Trailways Transportation System
The Trailways Transportation System is an American group of 80 independent bus companies that have entered into a franchising agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.- History :...

 fleets. Whether Greyhound still operates them is unknown, but seems unlikely. Photos show Eagles with Greyhound paint schemes, a Trailways paint scheme with a dog logo, and a Trailways paint scheme with what is probably Greyhound legal lettering. Foreign examples are for unaffiliated Greyhound Australia
Greyhound Australia
Greyhound Australia is the largest long distance bus operator in Australia, operating in all mainland states and territories. It is owned by the Chapman Group and ANZ....

 and apparently Costa Rica
Transportation in Costa Rica
-Railways:*total: *narrow gauge: of gauge - Railways links to adjacent countries : Nicaragua - no Panama - no...

.

See also

  • BoltBus
    BoltBus
    BoltBus is a bus line operating in the northeastern United States. It is a 50/50 venture between Greyhound Lines and Peter Pan Bus Lines providing service between New York City and other cities in the northeastern United States, utilizing the existing operating authority of Greyhound Lines...

  • Southeastern Greyhound Lines
    Southeastern Greyhound Lines
    The Southeastern Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, from 1931 until 1960, when it became merged with the Atlantic Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company, thereby forming the Southern Division of The...

  • Capitol Greyhound Lines
    Capitol Greyhound Lines
    The Capitol Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, from 1930 until 1954, when it was merged into the Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company.-Development:The Capitol Greyhound Lines came into...

  • Dixie Greyhound Lines
    Dixie Greyhound Lines
    The Dixie Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, from 1930 until 1954, when it became merged into the Southeastern Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company.- Origin :The Dixie Greyhound Lines began in 1925...

  • Teche Greyhound Lines
    Teche Greyhound Lines
    The Teche Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, from 1934 until 1954, when it was merged into the Southeastern Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company.[Teche, pronounced as "tesh", is a word of French...

  • Great Lakes Greyhound Lines
    Great Lakes Greyhound Lines
    The Great Lakes Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Detroit, Michigan, USA, from 1941 until 1957, when it merged with the Northland Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company, thereby forming the Central Division of The Greyhound...

  • Greyhound Mexico
    Greyhound Mexico
    Greyhound Mexico is a Mexican subsidiary of Dallas, Texas based Greyhound Lines, providing marketing services in Spanish, for other subsidiary companies with cross-border bus routes...

  • Florida Greyhound Lines
    Florida Greyhound Lines
    The Florida Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, from 1946 until 1957, when it was merged into the Southeastern Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company.-Origin:The immediate predecessor of the Florida...

  • Atlantic Greyhound Lines
    Atlantic Greyhound Lines
    The Atlantic Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Charleston, West Virginia, USA, from 1931 until 1960, when it became merged with the Southeastern Greyhound Lines , a neighboring operating company, thus forming the Southern Division of The...

  • Tennessee Coach Company
    Tennessee Coach Company
    The Tennessee Coach Company was a regional highway-coach carrier, founded in 1928 and based in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It was in operation until 1976, when it became merged into the Continental Tennessee Lines, a subsidiary of the Transcontinental Bus System, called also the Continental Trailways...

     -- an independent carrier which cooperated with Atlantic GL and Southeastern GL (1928–56)
  • Greyhound Bus Museum
    Greyhound Bus Museum
    The Greyhound Bus Museum is located in Hibbing, Minnesota, where Carl Wickman and Andrew "Bus Andy" Anderson started their first bus service in 1914 transporting fellow miners in a 1914 Hupmobile.-Company history:...

  • Peter Pan Bus Lines
    Peter Pan Bus Lines
    Peter Pan Bus Lines is a long-distance bus carrier headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. It operates in the northeastern United States. Over four million passengers per year travel on Peter Pan's bus routes....

    – interline partner in the northeastern United States
  • Trailways Transportation System
    Trailways Transportation System
    The Trailways Transportation System is an American group of 80 independent bus companies that have entered into a franchising agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.- History :...

  • Greyhound Air
    Greyhound Air
    Greyhound Air was a short-lived Canadian low-cost airline.Launched by Greyhound Bus Lines using a fleet of Boeing 727's leased from the Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter company, the airline began service in July 1996...

    – Defunct low-cost airline in Canada
  • Greyhound Australia
    Greyhound Australia
    Greyhound Australia is the largest long distance bus operator in Australia, operating in all mainland states and territories. It is owned by the Chapman Group and ANZ....

  • Greyhound Canada– related carrier
  • Greyhound UK
    Greyhound UK
    Greyhound UK is a low-cost intercity scheduled coach service in the United Kingdom, owned by FirstGroup and based on the long-established Greyhound service in the USA....

  • First Avenue, a nightclub that currently operates out of a former Greyhound Bus Terminal in Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

    .
  • BusJunction
    BusJunction
    BusJunction.com is a discount bus ticket search engine based in the United States. It aggregates ticket information from discount and Chinatown bus lines so that users can search for tickets by price and departure time....

    , a bus ticket search engine that includes Greyhound tickets
  • The Simple Life: Interns
    The Simple Life
    The Simple Life was a reality television series that was broadcast from December 2, 2003 to August 5, 2007. The first three seasons aired on Fox, and the final two on E!...

  • Intercity bus driver
    Intercity bus driver
    An intercity bus driver is a bus driver whose duties involve driving a bus between cities. It is one of four common positions available to those capable of driving buses . Intercity bus drivers may be employed for public or private companies. It varies by country which is more common...


Further reading

  • Schisgall, Oscar (1985). The Greyhound Story: From Hibbing to everywhere. Chicago: J.G. Ferguson Publishing Company (Doubleday). ISBN 0-385-19690-3.
  • Margolis, Richard J., "Sic paratransit gloria omnibus. (decline of rural bus service by Greyhound has led to services provided by vans and minibuses)", The New Leader
    The New Leader
    The New Leader was a political and cultural magazine begun in 1924 by a group of figures associated with the Socialist Party of America, including Eugene V. Debs and Norman Thomas, and published in New York by the American Labor Conference on International Affairs. Its orientation is liberal and...

    , June 3, 1985.

External links

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