My grandfather was a Greyhound bus driver for 40 years. He was a real stand-up guy, very much my role model. He lived a good life, traveled the world, travelled the country, and when I die, I want to die just like him, peacefully in my sleep, and not screaming in terror like his passengers.

I like how all of the bus drivers essentially begin their announcements with "listen up motherfuckers"

The experience of a long bus ride is always full of surreal scenes, you end up bonding with your fellow riders as if you were captured by the enemy and being sent to a prisoners camp

"Don't make me throw you off this bus". Such a kind and comforting welcome.

Greyhound's slogan is: You must have had no other option.

Last greyhound trip I took I sat in the back next to some guy wearing 5 hats, after some time I struck up a conversation with him, and I ask “you seem like a normal guy, what is up with the 5 hats?” He says “oh yeah I do that so no one wants to sit next to the crazy guy wearing 5 hats an I get the seat to myself” lol if I ever ride greyhound again I’ll be wearing 5 hats.

Longest I took was 4 solid days, here are some things I learned; 1) you took the greyhound/megabus/flixbus because you had no other options 2) if your trip is more than a day, the bathroom is a disgusting sanctuary you’ll learn to appreciate. Just don’t let the water splash you, some of them don’t have lids. 3) change your socks often as you will develop athletes foot if you don’t 4)if your bus is old and you didn’t bring a battery pack, bring a book or some NyQuil. 5) bring a big ass carry on to keep anyone from sitting next to you, it usually works if the bus driver doesn’t give a fuck at all. 6) Drivers will leave your ass in the middle of nowhere, don’t fuck around with their schedule. 7) stay in populated and well lit areas in terminals, especially at midnight. If you’re a sheltered homebody and wind up at a hood hood terminal, don’t venture outside. Just sit your ass down and mind your business until your bus comes. Hope this helps, good luck.

Best argument for real-time, long-route, well-regulated railroad passenger system, subsidized as a vital public service, just as the railroads should have been federally subsidized from the beginning, as they are in almost every other country.

This video could be an ad for Greyhound with the slogan 'You got there alive, didn't you?'

The driver just driving off leaving people stranded is the most greyhound thing ever 😂😂😂

You’d be more comfortable hopping a freight train as a hobo than enduring the chaotic zoo of a Greyhound

I'm a Brit and took my first and ONLY Greyhound from LA to SF which is only supposed to be a 6 hour or so trip. It took at least 10 hours and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. One cute thing was a woman moved next to my empty seat because somebody had thrown up next to her. Her daughter ended up falling asleep with her head on my shoulder so I couldn't move for 3 hours for fear of waking her. Clearly, nothing has changed in 14 years.

I'm not gonna poop on the bus. Proceeds to eat a baconator, coffee, and White Castle lmaooooo

For years, Greyhound has been a "bucket list" adventure. Having watched this, I just put a hole in that bucket and ensured that trip goes straight through it

I'm from Serbia, which is a poor country, but getting around the country by a bus is relatively comfortable. Last year I visited the US and attended an event in Pittsburgh, after which I wanted to go to Niagara falls. Since I hate driving, I bought a Greyhound ticket. Thought that it couldn't be that bad. The bus broke down right after leaving Pittsburgh. After a slight delay, we boarded a different bus. Made it to Cleveland, from which I was supposed to go to Buffalo. The layover was relatively long and the bus station did not look great, so I decided to walk around. Got an email saying that my departure was significantly delayed. I used that time to see Cleveland and when I went back to the station, I learned that the bus departed on time! I was supposed to meet a coworker in Buffalo and grab some dinner that afternoon, but it was midnight when I finally arrived.

"Don't make me throw you off the bus" Such a lovely welcome aboard.

Like you mentioned: most of those people don’t have a choice. And Greyhound probably knows it, as well as knowing that those who don’t have means are less likely to bring legal action or anything similar. It’s so disappointing.

The bus driver let you on without a valid ticket because he believed your story, KNOWING no one in their right mind would tell such a lie just to get on a Greyhound bus!😜

I love how this video really highlights how kind people can be. All the folks you ran into seem very nice and genuine, and its a shame that they were being treated so poorly by greyhound. I really wish that they treated their customers better, since its clear that lower income individuals rely on them to get to where they have to be.

Noel, you are a good man. Thank you for your empathy to your fellow passenger.

When I was in college I met a girl online playing Titanfall on Xbox One and for my birthday she took a greyhound bus from California to Tallahassee, FL to come see me for the weekend. I never thought of the arduous journey she must have experienced but now I just want to say thanks Stella.

Leaving people alone in a random parking lot without any representative of the bus company is madness.

What an absolute disaster! If I was the CEO of greyhound busses, after watching this, I'd fire MYSELF. It's embarrasing to even watch. Have they seen it, yet?!!

I rode a greyhound from Chicago to L.A. in 1997. Took 3 days. Terrible experience. Great memories and stories. Saw some of the coolest stuff I'll never see again.

If someone told me when was young that in my mid 50's I would, on my phone, spend 40 minutes watching a guy summarise his 5 day greyhound bus journey across the USA I'd have had a hard time believing it. I still do and I just did it.

Noel having that realization that you're treated like trash if you're poor is something I wish everyone could experience.

Yep, 1000% accurate. When you ride Greyhound you better be ready for and adventure, because you never know what's going to happen! Glad you survived, Noel!

This needs to be shown by every executive of Greyhound and those who profit off of all of this. Crazy amounts of stress and anxiety around systems and programs that are broken ran by employees that are overworked and apathetic

I was in Operation Desert Storm, and I spent a night in jail once, and neither experience was as stressful as riding on Greyhound.

My wife, then fiance, and i took the same exact greyhound 3 days after we got married.from NYC to San diego, by napa and sactown. It was back in 1994. New life, new jobs, full of hope. You are a great man and it was fun watching your video.

I did this exact route from Philly to LA. Every stop along the way. It was absolutely brutal. I tapped out in Texas on the way back after a 2 day delay in Albuquerque and dealing with Greyhound forcing us to sleep on the floor. Absolute hell. Some decent views. I did see parts of the country I would not have otherwise but the people, the drivers, Greyhound staff, and the ride itself are HELL.

Greyhound used to be the best bus company for travel. But slowly, over the years, they’ve declined drastically. Rude employees, dirty stations and constant delays led to their demise. It got even worse after they were bought by FlixBus a few years ago. The greyhound station he stopped at in Philly is now nonexistent. Now our city doesn’t actually have a greyhound bus station. Instead pickup and drop off is on a sidewalk miles away from the original station. No shelter, greyhound/FlixBus employees, restrooms or ability to buy tickets. I’ve since transitioned to Amtrak for all my travel. More expensive but worth it for the amenities and faster trips. America is so behind with transportation. It’s horrible!

I did 5 days on a Greyhound from San Diego to Newark, NJ in 2005... no cellphone, no internet, fresh out of the hospital after spending 3 weeks there after a head-on-collision. I am still recuperating all of these years later (from that bus ride)!

I'm from Melbourne Australia and my parents moved north while i was studying, I would fly up north and then proceed to catch greyhound buses to visit them. Once when i was returning to the airport out of a super rural town, the bus driver let me know that the mail man was sick so wed also be doing the mail. We proceed to do about 20 random stops through rural towns dropping the most random packages in like 40 degree heat with no aircon. But as always I made it there in one piece hahahaha

A positive attitude does wonders. My Greyhound from Los Angeles to Minneapolis in 2005 took 3 days and two transfers, but was completely civil and ordinary.

What a line from the last driver; "We're going to make this as painful as possible"

The fact that greyhound just leave the buses on the side of the road full of customers is insane.

I remember going back and forth to New Orleans every year with my mom for my Christmas Eve birthday as a child. Seeing that Greyhound station and all the poor people get on that bus I see how they are struggling like my mom after my dad was murdered made me sad. RIP mom and dad

I had a long overnight stop at the greyhound in Pittsburgh once...I was stuck there becaues the bus was late. When I tried to sleep on the floor, I was forced up by a security guard because apparently it was "against the law to sleep on a bus station floor". I almost got into a fight with a staff member at the cafe coz she wanted to SCREAM at me because she wasn't happy with how I was ordering...same issue with a staff member in Baltimore. I was simply asking where to print my ticket, and she decided to get loud and aggressive with me. I am DONE with greyhound. Even in Mexico, I've never in my life seen such horrible customer service

I did a greyhound from Detroit to Flagstaff once in college (2011). Everyone and I mean EVERYONE begged us not to do it. My parents offered to rent us a car. My friend’s parents offered to book us a flight. 2 hours into what ended up being a 3 day trip, I understood why. Never. Again.

Holy hell, man. Growing up in 1990's Poland I did dozens of super sketchy long haul bus rides, but not once was I left on the side of the road at 3AM by a driver who simply went to bed. This is nuts!

I've been everywhere on Greyhound. East to West isn't bad, it slowly gets better with fewer people everyday. West to East is extra draining as the busses get denser. Favorite bus trip was through Kansas at night during a storm... pitch black until lightning lights up and you see forever. I've hit that White Castle in Ondianapolis so many times. It was still pleasant up to mid 90s.

It's been nearly 20 years since I rode a Greyhound. I had the nicest conversation with a man who stole my window seat for five hours between LA and Oakland where he would be getting off. He told me as we were parting to go on our separate ways, that he had just been released from a six year prison stint and he had no idea whom he was going to meet out in the world. He expected me to be mad about taking my seat, tossing my pillow capriciously in the aisle seat, while mugging arrogantly, and admittedly, initially I was, but as I momentarily seethed, the notion came as to the best way to play it and possibly annoy him most, was be the "chatty, nice White lady". So I turned to him, introduced myself, while extended my hand to shake his, adding enthusiastically "It looks like we're going to be seat-mates!". We talked and agreed about a lot of things on many topics typically not talked about among polite company, despite our lots being so different. He then told me I had nothing to worry about in this life because I had a good heart and was crazy as hell! He thanked me for being so decent to him despite taking my window seat. After six years in prison, I imagine he was relishing a view I have always taken for granted.

I can't believe that they can just kick a paying customer off the bus and or leave people that are trying to get food. Leaving people in the middle of nowhere with hard telling how much money they have. This is what nightmares are made of. I always thought that I'd like to try and take a bus across the country. Thank you for making me rethink that. Customer service at its finest

"Trust and believe I'm gonna make this as painful as possible." That last driver speaks for the company. 😆

I travelled across Canada to Whitehorse Yukon on greyhound. Five days, four nights. Never been that far west before. I didn’t want to eat at roadside diners and donut shops so as we entered a town I’d look for grocery stores. If one was near the bus stop and if we were stopped for 30 min or more, I’d load up on fresh fruit, veggies, tuna, crackers, pb and jam and wraps. There was only one incident. A guy tried to smoke on the bus, driver made him put it out, and at next stop driver said, “you’re done. You don’t come back on the bus, go talk to the agent”. I really enjoyed the trip. Gorgeous scenery. I paid extra for front seat. Going through the mountains for the first time….wow!

I used to take greyhound from downtown los Angeles to Sacramento. I have nightmares from those trips! From 3 hour delays because the bus broke down 30 minutes in the freeway to crazy people getting on. One guy who wasn’t ticketed got on and delayed the bus by 2 hours because he refused to get off. We had to wait until the cops got there in the middle of no where. 🙃🙃

The funniest part of this video is the bonding done between the riders because of how awful the experience is for everyone collectively. Youre all fighting to just get to the next stop.

This man deserves a tee shirt saying “I survived 5 days on Greyhound” Thanks for suffering on our behalf! 👍

It's a miracle you actually made it. I will never look at greyhound the same way! It was aweful. Glad you are safe.

That's crazy for the Greyhound to still have this mess. I rode the Greyhound in 1985, and I traveled from Pittsburgh to Seattle in the middle of nowhere by Billings. Our driver just walk off and left us because the other driver had'nt came, and he needed to leave. The middle of August hot as h#ll waiting for over four hours. Never again in life, Greyhound is still a nightmare. Smh.

I took a 70 hour trip from LA to Philadelphia in 1976. I remember surly drivers, scary passengers, and dicey terminals. It looks like things haven't changed much!

The amount of people just royally screwed was staggering. Just left at some random gas station, what the hell was that person supposed to do? Woman with kids at the station, and you know the next bus is like 24 hours later and probably already full

That lady was so sweet “Noel this is my seat where is yours “ 🥹

One of my favorite experiences is driving down the highway as the sun is coming up early in the morning. That feeling of being cold and tired but at the same time excited with some good music playing

I clicked because I did this WITH my family of 5 and very new boyfriend from south FL to California 😂😂😂 what an adventure 😂😂😂

Earlier this year Greyhound dropped their load of passengers at a truck stop in the Boise, Idaho, area and they were there for three days. Like Noel said, a lot of them do not have the resources to get a room or a source alternate transportation and so they were forced to camp out in a parking lot. This is unconscionable service and frankly I think they need to have their operating license removed.

As a retired Greyhound driver (Chicago) I am appalled at what the company has become. I'm only at the Indy terminal section and to find out that passengers have to wait 4 hours for a driver, In a city that would take 4 hours to walk across. And, I'm like seriously ! The days of Greyhound (Dial Corp) are gone. F.Y.I. Greyhound was owned at one time by the Dial Soap company. Mr. Happy complete....Wow! Not only do you not talk to the passengers like that, but that is not acceptable. Not sure, but the buses had intercom systems when I drove, to talk to the people. Mr. Happy part 2....What a friggen pig ! Totally unprofessional looking. He needs to be removed as a driver. Yes, I have had to kick people off the bus, for the safety of the others on the bus. I have also been pulled over by U.S. Marshall's looking for escaped convicts. Military Police looking for a Sailor that was A.W.O.L. , Various state police looking for drugs...And yes they found them. Child abduction and yes a hooker working her way from Memphis to Chicago ...in the back of the bus. One of the other passengers complained about it going on, is how I found out about it. Not all was bad. I had some great times on the bus as well.

Shedding tears my Dad still drives started with Trailways in the late 70s. Switched over to Greyhound mid 80s grew up on the bus this was my childhood. Terminals are closing not enough drivers It’s all going downhill.

Fantastic! I enjoyed your comments and persistence. I could never do that. I would have lost my sheet. But ya did meet some cool peeps. You've a big heart. Thank you!

Met someone who had gotten out of prison and was given a greyhound ticket to go to a halfway house. They said nothing about how terrible prison was, but the greyhound trip, they had no good words and vowed to never ride one again.

Traveled from South Dakota to North Carolina on a Greyhound. I had zero expectations and little money. That was a rough 3 days. The highlight of the trip was buying a honey bun from the snack machine in some bus stop. I learned that if you kept holding the button down it just kept dropping them. I ate those honey buns for breakfast, lunch, & dinner for days.

I am glad you made it safe and sound . This is a wonderful video. In 1989 I traveled on Greyhound from Petersburgh Virginia thru NewYork City to Chicago. The drivers was friendlier then.

I subbed your channel cuz u went through so much on your trip but u held it together 10 times better than I would have and for that your A BOSS 💪🏾💪🏾💯💯 I WANNA SEE MORE 😅😅

Grayhound's ineptitude seems epic! and their apparent lack of concern for the safety and wellbeing of their passengers is frankly terrifying.

I took a greyhound from North Carolina to Los Angeles, but it was actually not that bad. I met a chick at the Montgomery Alabama bus station during the layover and she was headed to Los Angeles also. She was the same age as me and we were 24 at the time. That was 13 years ago and I still talk to her here and there.

I was on Amtrak from Portland, Oregon to Rochester, NY on round trip in 1990. About 62 hours on one way each. Total about 124 hours with two weeks apart. It was terrible and I would never ride on Amtrak on long trip. It is good on short trip. I rather to fly airplane than train on long trip.

My daughter went to college about 4 hours away from home. She hated driving home, so we tried the bus...ONCE. Her (presumably) substitute driver on the 1st route didn't know the way, and the passengers had to help her navigate after she missed the 1st stop. She wasn't great at driving the bus either. My daughter doubted that she was an actual bus driver. On the way back, we discovered that the bus station in Atlanta was across from Magic City, an infamous strip club. I planned to just drop her off but decided to stay with her until the bus took off. That station was super sketchy. There were passender shenanigans both ways. She never rode the bus again. 🤣🤣

I loved this video! My highlights were - you being called No-El the entire trip - The lady praising Jesus loudly - The guy who just got out of Prison and is away to ride on freight trains - The final bus driver's attitude - Your humanity, giving away your food and empathising with the passengers regarding greyhounds service Best No-El video yet!

I worked for the company that owned Greyhound at one time and figured I would take advantage of the “perk” that allowed me to ride for a discount. I rode from Memphis to Detroit. RIDE FROM HELL☠️ 26 hours for a 800 mile trip…driver never busted 65mph; stopped every (seemed like) hour at random stops picking up passengers; cold; restroom reeked; 7, yes 7 hour layover in Chicago; cellphone users talking so loud it was ridiculous (even after the driver told the entire bus to not disturb others)…my back hurt…my knees hurt (I’m 6’3)…my head hurt…I haven’t recovered from that still and that was over 15 years ago 😵‍💫

You're my hero! I pray I never have to travel Greyhound ever again - I did it lots in my college years... long ago.

Your high energy is giving pure joy. Great video mate✌️

I had a ride with Greyhound once. After 3 hours, the driver stopped in the middle of nowhere and told us that he reached his daily driving time. He called his dispatch and they said we are sending someone and it will take 13 hours if they could find 2 drivers. We were in the middle of a forest outside the bus (the driver couldn't let us in since he was no more the assigned driver!). Some passengers just stopped passing vehicles and ask a ride to the nearest city Worst experience on bus travel.

If ever we needed proof that poor people get treated like sh*t surely this is it. Just awful. Glad that you took that away from it. It's too easy for folk to sneer at people who are down on their luck. Thanks for sticking it out. It made a great video.

Back in 1994 when I was 24 I did Bangor , Maine to San Diego, Ca. Four and a half days on Greyhound buses, epic journey! And the way back Portland, Oregon to NYC! You see the real people of America on these buses. You travel thru 4 seasons: you see winter in NY, summer in Arizona. Loved it all the way! 😎😎😎

Greyhound break-stop slogan: RUN!! 😂

Having your camera out with a British accent in the Port Authority bus terminal is a real power move, but the trust that lady had in you to ask that you watch her bags is even wilder. I salute you as a New Yorker

What a mess. Mom & I used to take Greyhound from LA to Tucson in the 70s. The drivers wore uniforms & captains hats. They would lift me up to the top step and give me a Greyhound pin. They would hold women's hands as they stepped off the bus. It was clean, safe, reliable, and comfortable. Now it's something else.

I was born and raised in San Francisco Bay Area. In August of 1967 I spent two and a half days going to Chicago IL and I learned About the change of seasons at the hundredth meridian which changes everything from green to Brown (CA) and Brown to green (IL) quite a surprise for me. And yes it was a horrible trip but one I will never forget.

I'm glad you did it instead of me. Your optimism was infectious.

This guy is actually very generous he gave away most of his food to people who need it

I rode greyhound to Texas more than once to go on to Mexico, 12 hours to Texas 12 Hours to go into Mexico. I was horrified at the greyhound portion of the trip the first time, was expecting worse in Mexico . The Mexico Buses were Mercedes Benz buses with reclining seats and plenty of leg room . I would of never thought that the quality and experience would be that much better in Mexico using their Buses . The U.S system was 3rd world compared to a Country many would dispel as less advanced.

you are a genuinely good guy, good on you for helping that guy out.

Good watch,and very helpful for others to learn before taking the greyhound

As a former Greyhound driver, i am not surprised by your journey across the US. Unfortunately, customer service is long gone. Greyhound is now owned by Flixbus after purchasing them from First Group. First Group held onto the real estate and have been slowly but surely selling every terminal, which is why most stops are in the middle of nowhere or curbside. The drivers wearing black and white uniforms have recently completed training, and one would hope their customer service skills were better. I left in 2020 as I realized the direction that the company was headed. Kudos to you for surviving the trip and not giving up along the way.

"Imagine if an airline treated their customers this way" THANK YOU! It's easy for us to laugh about how terrible and unreliable Greyhound is...but for a lot of the people you met Greyhound is their only way to get where they need to go....and they deserve the same basic respect as someone flying in business class.

I have taken the Greyhound from Orange county, Ca to Jacksonville Florida three times. 3 1/2 days

I just watched this video on my TV. It is 3:00 a.m. in my country right now. I love long, cross country bus rides. I actually, made a cup of coffee to feel more cozy. I enjoyed this video and felt like I was the one making the journey.

Greyhound is the "transport of last resort". The drivers have to develop a hard shell to survive, and while most of the passengers are good people, every busload may have one or two that are not. But you proved that it is possible to travel across the country by Greyhound and survive.

Congrats for surviving Noel, you're a brave man

Thank you! This was amazing! In the late '70's I attended University in the States, and traveled via Greyhound. It of course wasn't a stateroom on the Queen Mary, but if a bus was full (no advanced bookings required at that time), they simply brought another bus for the overflow. I remember in the southern states, people would actually board the bus dressed as though they were attending church. Both the passengers and Greyhound employees at that time, I found very pleasant. Amazing how things have changed.

Lol I did that from LA to NY down to Florida and back via Illinois and Wisconsin over 20 yrs ago so I can relate to this, :). When I went it was just a couple of weeks after a driver got murdered by a passenger sitting directly behind him.

I took the greyhound from East Lansing, Michigan to Louisville, Kentucky. After we got to the Detroit station there was no driver for the next leg of the trip. The only thing greyhound said is the next bus was scheduled for in the morning and this was late afternoon. They finally found a driver right as security was about to kick all of us out of the station at midnight in Detroit because they were closing. People asked the security guard why he was going to throw us out and he said it wasn't his problem. Avoid greyhound like the plague!

The old Greyhound station in San Francisco was absolutely apocalyptic. People passed out on the bathroom floor, etc. It turned out that when someone was causing trouble in other cities, the police would offer them the choice between a Greyhound ticket to LA/SF or jail. Since a lot of those people weren't exactly equipped to build a new life, it usually ended badly.

The st louis bus station is always a treat. it's so nice seeing the arch as you go through. i've been from ohio to wichita 4 times.

Bus travel is a strange beast. I remember having to take one for work as a teenager in the 90's. I thought I had it planned out perfectly in terms of my hours, travel time, and fare but they left out a mi-noote detail. If there were no customers getting off at my stop - he may not stop to pick me up. And sure enough - a few times that was the case. 17 years old sleeping on a park bench because the bus never showed and having to go back to work the next afternoon. Luckily I had friends I could stay and shower, but it's a nervous feeling knowing you don't have the freedom of your bed at reach at times. Interesting and eye opening video in an age where most companies are bending over backwards for customers - but when Greyhound's the only player in town, they know they don't have to.

I'm amazed Greyhound still exists. I've lived in the US my whole life and if traveling by Greyhound is my only choice in not going. And to think that the payoff for your troubles was to arrive in LA.

As a railfan, I think Amtrak is completely dysfunctional these days, but Greyhound really takes the cake. Amazing that anyone gets anywhere at all on this system!

I'm glad you shared this. I was tempted to ride Greyhound. Not anymore!

I did that trip in 1976.. 3 times interstate 40 & 80 circle in one summer. Had a great time and learned alot about America.