When I first heard Greyhound was from my aunt. She always used Greyhound to travel all over US. Then I know more clearly in a workshop held by International Center last year that Greyhound is actually a kind of transportation in North America. I hadn’t had the chance to try until my friend in Cleveland invited me to come over staying for weekend.
Logging in website and buying tickets is super easy. All you need to prepare is credit card to pay online. I always bought the cheaper tickets because I have clear travel plans. If you are not sure you can buy refundable ones which cost much more. After purchasing online tickets Greyhound website may require a printer to print at home or print on the day of departure. I chose to save as a PDF form and when I was in library or somewhere having a printer, I’ll print them out then. The reason for doing so is that I felt a bit rush if I didn’t prepare my tickets in advance.
Sometimes there may be more than one ticket because some transfers could happen along the way. For example, I went to Cleveland to see my friend four times in all. When I purchased tickets, the website will indicate there is one transfer in Toledo. This means I have to get off in Toledo and went on another coach (which also means bus) in order to get to Cleveland. On Thanksgiving holiday in 2014, my friends booked tickets to Chicago online on Greyhound website, we have to transfer in Kalamazoo instead. It can be time consuming since transfers will take time. I would recommend using Greyhound as a tool for travel. However, if you’re in an emergency or you don’t like waiting in bus stations, airplane is the best choice.
The longest trip I took was during Christmas when I was planning to visit my aunt in Toronto. After I applied for Canada visa I bought tickets to Toronto. It took me eight hours travelling from Ann Arbor to there. Greyhound is usually on time, except there might be some unpredictable situations causing delay. I have to say again Greyhound can be cost-effective, but not so time-saving.
Staying on Greyhound is cozy. But there is one trick about station in Ann Arbor, don’t believe anything said on website about location. Just go to Blake Transit Center, the station is right across the station of Route 1, 2 and 4.
Kun Zhao
Summer Orientation Peer Advisor
M.A: Sport Management
Country of Origin: China
Thanks for the info! And I have to agree Greyhound might save you sometime but it surely it will take time to reach your destination! My first experience with Greyhound was traveling from Ann Arbor to Lexington KY in only ~15hours... yeah I know! It's only 5-6 hour drive with car by the way. But at least it's a fairly safe option and cheap ;) !
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