Greyhound
Here are some of the drawbacks that may affect your level of comfort on a Greyhound trip.
First off, you’ll spend hours on a bus, typically alongside a random person. Greyhound does not allow reserved seatings.
So, if you want a good spot, arrive early.
Bus seats are generally more compressed than train seats. Therefore, legroom is relatively limited. Your only leg stretch opportunity is your trip to the bathroom.
Food is also not provided on Greyhound buses. However, you can buy some before your trip at the stops.
But, of course, there are also many advantages to Greyhound buses we want to highlight. Starting with their reclining, comfortable leather chairs.
Each seat also has a power outlet. So, say goodbye to bringing out your power bank! On top of this, they have free wifi. So, surf and watch away until you get to your destination.
They may not offer food on the train. However, they allow you to eat inside it. Plus, a lot of Greyhound terminals have great food choices nearby.
And you don’t need to fret about being stuck in the awkward middle seat. Greyhound buses don’t have any.
Additionally, Greyhound buses have a pretty large amount of overhead room. And don’t worry, they have bathrooms too!
Ultimately, these are generally sufficient and reasonable for short trips. Some factors may be uncomfortable during long rides, though.
Pricing
Let’s start with a comparison of Amtrak and Greyhound in terms of cost. It’s a common misconception that Amtrak is always more pricey.
But, this is not completely true. In fact, coach fares are pretty similar for destinations near Amtrak stations.
Plus, Amtrak prices usually (and naturally) increase due to their room categories. Yet, Greyhound buses do not provide such nice seating/room options.
Here are some side-by-side comparisons for one-way trips:
| One Way Trip Route | Amtrak’s Price | Greyhound’s Price |
| Seattle to Portland | $30-$190 | $23-$30 |
| Chicago to San Francisco | $220-$1600 | $215-$290 |
| Philadelphia to Charlotte | $92-$410 | $90-$130 |
These famous routes have comparable prices to each other. But, let’s say that there is no nearby Amtrak terminal in the area.
Now things begin to take an intriguing turn.
In this case, it’s likely that Amtrak does not operate at the destination you’re traveling to. Unfortunately, you have to make other travel plans when this happens.
At this point, your only Amtrak option is to take the Amtrak Thruway. However, this comes at a higher cost.
Let’s compare the Amtrak Thruway costs to see how it stacks up with Greyhound.
| One Way Trip Route | Amtrak’s Price | Greyhound’s Price |
| Portland to Las Vegas | $170-$550 | $170-$220 |
| Boise to Seattle | $90-$350 | $80-$120 |
Amtrak is incredibly more expensive than Greyhound when they don’t have stations near your destinations.
So, in these cases, Greyhound is cheaper than Amtrak.
Yet there are other factors to consider than cost. Some individuals are willing to shell out a few dollars for experience and comfort.
Company Profiles and Main Sevices
Amtrak and Greyhound. These are the two most well-known transportation companies in the United States. Obviously, the two cater to distinct needs. Train and bus travel. However, they have proved respective prominence in the transportation sector and in history.
So, drawing parallels between the two is not unreasonable.
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, or Amtrak for short, is a government-owned organization. In fact, the President appoints the majority of Amtrak’s board of directors.
The U.S. Senate must also approve each appointment and Amtrak now employs around 19,000 people.
Moreover, Amtrak connects several U.S. cities by passenger rail. It commenced its services in May 1971. And finally, their headquarters are at Washington’s Union Station.
On the other hand, Dallas-based corporation Greyhound Lines, Inc. operates bus services. The company services more than 3,000 locations throughout the USA.
Greyhound also covers some parts of Canada and Mexico. It first opened its doors for service in 1914. Greyhound is managed and controlled as a distinct entity of FirstGroup America. They are a branch of the Scottish firm FirstGroup.
Amtrak is essentially not obligated to conduct nationwide services. However, they continue to serve the majority of the states.
They also run an overhead wire system in these specific areas:
The remaining states are supplied by diesel-powered locomotives. Additionally, Amtrak runs Thruway Motorcoach. This offers bus routes in and out of their railway terminals.
Meanwhile, Greyhound provides other services along with their major routes. This covers bus transportation from New York City at a discount. Additionally, they serve other locations in the northeastern areas.
There are several supplemental considerations when you compare the two. For instance, you’d surely want the most cost-effective route. You also want the schedule to match your wanted departure.
So below, we go through the important deciding factors one by one.