As you may know, I had a less than stellar experience riding a ‘Greyhound’ bus to Canada last month that turned out to be an uncomfortable FlixBus and was also 1.5 hours late. It was a last minute trip that we booked a month beforehand because our Amtrak tickets that I had reserved about a year before, no longer existed. If you want all those details I wrote about them here:
So after that bus adventure, I asked my Partner if I should change our travel plans so we didn’t have another bad experience. Surprisingly he said no and so we gave Greyhound another shot – and I’m so glad we did 🙂 .
There were still a few hiccups like the fact that Greyhound emailed us multiple times changing our reserved seats, which wasn’t a big deal and also made us raise our eyebrows since we didn’t even get the reserved seats we paid extra for on that previous FlixBus fiasco.
However, Greyhound never told me that our actual bus time had changed – a piece of crucial information. Luckily I’m ridiculous and had been looking at the very helpful live Greyhound tracking website and noticed that our bus was now listed as 30 minutes later than on my ticket. So that would have been good to have been told 🙂 .
But whatever. I noticed it before our day of travel and was ready. During that reconnaissance I also noticed that the same bus we took before arrived an hour late and would have made us miss our next travel plan. So I came up with backup plans in case that happened and then we packed our bags, ready for an adventure.
Bus Details
- When: September 2024
- Where: Montréal, Québec, Canada to Boston, MA, USA
- Bus: Greyhound US0260
- Bus Time: 8 hr 45 min
- Seat: 3A
- Distance: 307 miles
- Cost: $74.73 USD
Montréal Gare D’Autocars
We arrived at the Montréal Bus Terminal via Uber at 7:20am for our 8am bus. There were TVs near the entrance that listed gate numbers for each departing bus so I identified ours and we went towards the gate to find a seat.
Overall, Gare D’Autocars is very nice looking, but this morning, there was a bit of trash strewn about. There were also very few seats, which I found curious. And overall the people waiting with us were polite with only one man listening to a video at full volume without headphones. Le sigh 🙂 .
Boarding
At 7:40 our gate started boarding. There was no overhead announcement, but I was keeping my eye on the gate and saw an employee giving instructions and a line forming so we joined it. The employee said to have our passports and tickets ready so we prepared those.
At the front of the line the employee checked our passports. Then we went to the bus and a different employee scanned our tickets, confirmed our reserved seat numbers (!!!) and told us where to put our bags based on destination. And the bus…said Greyhound on the side. Thank goodness 🙂 .
The Ride
We got on the bus, found our reserved seats (3A and 3B) and settled in. Already this experience was lightyears away from the disorganized chaos I experienced on that FlixBus in Greyhound clothing. Boarding here was smooth, clear and organized. We actually got our reserved seats and everything was happening on time. Fantastic.
Everyone got on the bus and we left at 7:59am. The bus then played a recorded announcement in English, French and Spanish and luckily I understood the Spanish one! It was good to see I wasn’t losing a lot of my Spanish language.
The announcement also said for everyone to stay in their assigned seats (so I guess all the seats are assigned and the prices vary based on where they are) and that there’s an entertainment system and to always use headphones when listening to it. I love it 🙂 .
The Seat
So the main question is: Did this bus ride deliver on all the things I was promised on my last one – the lack of which left me severely disappointed because what was promised differed so greatly from what was delivered?
I’m happy to report: this bus had everything that was promised. The seats are WAY more comfortable than on FlixBus. The seats felt like leather and had working footrests, room to store bags above the seats, and even trash bags next to each seat. There was also an electric socket at each seat and the headrest wasn’t the folded monstrosity that FlixBus has.
My only critique of these seats is that I would have preferred more space under the seat. I couldn’t tell what was taking up that space and why the openings for my feet were so low, but I couldn’t have fit my bag under there like usual.
The other small issue I had seemed to only happen at my seat (of course 🙂 ). There was a part of the seatbelt that was sticking out over the seat cushion that I think shouldn’t have been, and it kept poking me in the butt. However, I just put my jacket over it and it wasn’t a big deal. So overall this bus was way more comfortable, comfortable enough for me to sit on it for almost 9 hours without issue.
Amenities
Now what about all those amenities that were promised, such as Wifi and entertainment that both weren’t working on my previous FlixBus? In a wonderful surprise, both worked! There were signs on the bus that directed us to connect to Bus Wifi [Bus Number] and said that the bus number was printed at the front of the bus next to the driver – it was prominent and easy to see.
When I connected it asked me to copy a URL, which I did with my browser’s copy/paste function but apparently I’m supposed to double click on it instead, so I did that and hit Connect and then went to tv.greyhound.com. There I found a surprisingly large number of movies, music and even audiobooks, which I haven’t seen before.
I played around with the movie website and was happily surprised to see that it featured picture-in-picture so I can go to other apps in my phone while still watching the movie. Nice!
There was also a sign on the bus that said to text a number with your bus number to give feedback about your driver. I texted the number with our bus number to tell them that our driver was awesome, but never heard back with a survey or anything. Curious 🙂 .
Border Control
We arrived at US Border Control a little after 9am. Curiously the Canadian side doesn’t have a separate line for buses like the US side, so we were stuck behind regular cars for about 20 minutes. Then we were able to access the bus only section.
We stopped there for a little bit while our driver left to talk to the border control employees. Then he came back and told us to get off the bus with our carry on stuff, but not worry about the bags under the bus. Sweet! That’s easier than last time when we had to lug everything off the bus.
Once we were off the bus we were directed into a small room and told that everyone from the bus had to fit in this small room together. Oh my. So we all squished to make it work and I’m glad I was wearing my mask. Our bus wasn’t even full and it was still close quarters.
Since we were sitting near the front of the bus, we were near the front of the line and got through in about 10 minutes since entering the building.
The border control employee asked where we stayed in Canada (Montréal) and how long (2 months) and why we went there (Vacation), where we live (We are technically residents of Washington State), and if we have anything to declare (yes, but luckily my snacks were approved no problem).
I heard the same employee asking non US Citizens where they were going and what the exact address was where they were staying. After we were cleared, we headed back to the bus and waited for everyone to get through the line, which happened in another 15 minutes. By 10am we were off!
On The Road Again
Now that we were through the only part of the trip that required my full attention, I decided to watch a movie. I started Furiosa and about 15 minutes in, the Wifi went out for about 7 minutes. I was curious if it was because we had recently crossed the US/Canada border. I tried reconnecting and it said limited connectivity. I joined anyway and everything worked like normal. Interesting.
One thing I was curious about on this trip was to see how many actual Bus Stations still existed in the US. On my ride to Canada I was surprised at the random locations we would often stop at to pick up passengers that were not bus terminals, such as gas stations.
Well that trend continued on this route, but instead of suspicious gas stations, we often stopped on the side of the road next to a “Bus Stop” sign in cute Gilmore Girls type towns.
Around 11am our bus stopped in Burlington, VT and the driver said we had 25 minutes to get off the bus and get snacks if we wanted. My Partner headed out and I stayed with our stuff. At the 25 minute mark we were back on the road.
At this point I had finished Furiosa and started The Fall Guy. At about 1:07pm we stopped in White River Junction, VT and the driver said we had 15 minutes to shop or stretch our legs. Once again my Partner left and I stayed in my seat. I was comfortable there 🙂 .
Once we were back on the road, my Wifi dropped for a second, but I reconnected no problem. But then it kept dropping and I got a weird error message. I ended up having to reconnect to it multiple times while trying to watch my movie and when it finally seemed stable, I realized that only the Greyhound entertainment center worked, not my regular internet (I was also tracking our bus on their tracking website and it wouldn’t load).
I wasn’t sure what was going on there, but I was able to finish my movie without issue and had been impressed with the bus Wifi abilities earlier in the trip since I was able to do things like watch YouTube videos without issue. I finished the movie about an hour outside of Boston and then watched the green trees go by while listening to music.
The views on this drive were surprisingly lovely. Even when we were driving on highways, they were surrounded by trees and often hills or stone cliffs. It was also a beautiful day, which I felt grateful for because the day before it was raining and foggy. After watching the world go by, we arrived in Boston.
Arrival
We arrived at Boston South Station a whole 10 minutes early. Impressive! We got off the bus, grabbed our bags and were off on our next adventure.
The Review
As you could probably tell, I really enjoyed this trip. All the employees were fantastic. They all gave clear instructions, were organized, and made me feel taken care of. I also appreciated the driver’s careful driving, timekeeping, and the fact that we arrived early.
The seat was comfortable – way more than FlixBus – and my only criticisms were minor (more foot space and no pokey bit on my seatbelt). Overall I was totally fine and comfortable for a 8.75 hour ride.
I was very impressed with the wifi speed when it worked (which was like 95% of the trip) and obviously I enjoyed the entertainment options provided. Also, our fellow passengers on the bus were courteous, which I always appreciate. Overall I had a lovely time.
Conclusion
I had a surprisingly great time on this bus trip and now I’m torn. The last trip was so uncomfortable because of that FlixBus that I don’t want to go through it again if I can help it, and the fact that the emails from Greyhound kept saying “this is definitely a Greyhound bus” only for it not to be makes me wary to book Greyhound again.
I loved this trip with Greyhound, but I don’t want to play roulette with a long bus ride when my experience can range from a comfortable and on time trip to an uncomfortable, chaotic and late one. So I’m torn. Based on my last experience I was never booking Greyhound again, but now that I’ve seen how nice it can be, I’m on the fence. I guess that means there needs to be a tie-breaker in the future 😉 .
What’s your favorite way to travel?
I started to take more often the Flixbus. I gave it more chances as there is a bus station close to where I work. Yes, sometimes was late but now I learned to follow it on the application so I can read calmly a book ( or listen a book). And the price is priceless :)) – that was my motivation.
Reality is I take it only for short trips ( less than 3 hours) when there is no direct train. I prefer to pick trains as I can walk /stand during the trip, too.
Taking it for shorter trips is very smart 🙂 . I prefer trains as well.
Sounds like a decent bus ride. The cheap options nearly always seem to go badly. If you want your mind blown about what buses can be like, check out the Vietnamese sleeper buses. I took one during the day time and it was awesome.
Yeah – surprisingly I didn’t consider this a cheap option originally since it was Greyhound and there were way cheaper tickets on ‘budget’ bus lines. But now it’s roulette if I’ll get a nice Greyhound bus or that uncomfortable FlixBus and I’m not willing to mess around with my comfort on a long bus ride. I’ll check out those sleeper buses if I ever go back to Vietnam – thanks!
I’m glad you had a better experience the 2nd time around. Buses are not the best for me.
My travel preferences are: 1) automobile-overall convenience (departures, breaks when we want, rapid adjustments to route changes, etc.); 2) airplanes-going the farthest the fastest…not counting getting to/from the flight and related folderol; 3) train-decent cost and somewhat “scenic”…depending where you are (not to mention the travel to/from the station); and 4) buses- I’ve only done 1 bus trip in the last 10-15 years (Newark NJ to Washington DC via Boltbus). The cost was fairly cheap and took about 4 hours (through Philadelphia and a VERY bombed-out looking part of Baltimore). Not sure I’d do it again.
In short…I love traveling, but am picky about how to get there.
Yes I was very relieved – and fair enough. I’m usually picky about how I get places, but also am curious what other types of options are out there (hence this experiment 😉 ) .
I’m glad the return trip better matched expectations! 🎉 We took the Amtrak train between NYC and Montreal several years ago and that was wonderful, but I don’t know if I could do it via bus.
I love taking a (specifically) repositioning cruise most of all, but in terms of getting around within the U.S. my preference would be:
1. Train: because it’s roomy, there’s a snack car, sometimes there’s wifi, and I can move around at will.
2. Flight: I treat it as 100% me-time, and enjoy reading, music, movies, and even correspondence. I also treat myself to a cheese plate whenever it’s available, ESPECIALLY on Alaska Airlines. (The one they offer on Amtrak is also delicious.)
3. Bus: I like not having to drive or park, especially in busy downtowns or places I’m not familiar with, but I can sometimes feel car sick on a bus depending on how “jerky” the driving is.
4. Rental car: As the only driver in this couple, I just find it more stressful than relaxing, particularly if I am not familiar with where I am going.
Safe and happy travels wherever you’re off to next! And please let me know when you will be through here again! 🤗
Haha thank you – me too 🙂 . I’ve taken Amtrak that route too in the winter and it was gorgeous. Too bad they’re having so many issues in the summer – this is the 2nd or 3rd year in a row they’ve had to shut down that route during the summer at the last minute.
Oooh tell me more about a repositioning cruise – I assume that means basically no one is there and it’s discounted since they’re just taking it back to the main port? I went on a cruise once and will never do it again if there are a normal amount of people on it, but if there are way less for repositioning I’m all ears lol.
Love this list! I had no idea the cheese plates on Alaska and Amtrak were good – I’ll keep a look out next time I’m on them 😉 . Also high five for also being the only driver in our couple. It is indeed stressful 🙂 .
Thank you so much! And will do – nothing’s on the calendar yet, but I’ll let you know 🙂 .
Repositioning cruises are sold cheap to fill them up, but maybe there are less kids? There are certainly going to be people on them. It’s just the cruise line moving the cruise ship between regions. For example, a cruise ship could do Mexican cruises and/or Hawaii cruises out of San Diego or Los Angeles in the winter, but then the ship goes up to Alaska in the summer months, so they do a coastal California cruise that moves the ship from SoCal to Vancouver. Or, you’d see a transatlantic to move a ship from Florida to Europe before hurricane season starts, or you might see a transpacific from California, Seattle or Vancouver to move a ship to Asia or Australia. Often people will do the transatlantics or transpacifics because the cost isn’t much more than buying a plane ticket and if you have the extra time, you can avoid the longhaul flight and associated jetlag.
Interesting – thanks for the info!
Glad you had a better experience with this than the Flix bus. Trains are my favorite transportation. I think it’s something about how smooth the ride is and seeing the world go by throughout the window. Busses aren’t bad but can be a little choppy and planes I love for long distance but they can be a bit constraining.
Thank you! Me too 🙂 . Fair point on the kinds of transportation – I prefer trains if I can pick and it’s time efficient. I’m excited to try the trains in Europe again!
So, from what you are saying, there is no way to know in advance if you’d get a legit Greyhound bus or the FlixBus one? That would be super annoying!
Exactly – and that’s not a risk I’m willing to take, especially on a long bus ride.
It does seem like you need to use it an uneven number of times to find whether it’s mostly good or not…