ZERO STARS if possible.
This review is extremely thorough and detailed because I am hoping someone will contact me to discuss this matter. I have called several times and left detailed voice messages and no one seems to call back. I have sent various emails and when I tried contacting BBB, guess what, this company is not even a BBB company! No surprise.
Being that it was my first time ever traveling with Greyhound, I must say that it was far from what I had initially expected. We took a bus from the El Monte station to Texas because it was our only option of travel due to work and other commitments.
Purchasing tickets was no big deal; I booked them about two weeks in advance online, printed them out, and picked them up at the station prior to our travel date. When we arrived, to the station on the morning of out departure, check in was fast and easy. However, when the bus arrived, it was packed! My boyfriend and I were split, riders were taking up empty seats with luggage, and no one was of any help. There needs to be a better system in place that will ensure all riders are safe and have a seat BEFORE driving along. The bus driver literally came right back in knowing that we were still looking for empty seats, and drove off while we were still standing! No warning or anything! The AC was extremely low for a 110 degree day. It was very hot!
Despite the minor dilemmas, which I completely understand and would not complain otherwise, our disastrous travel had not even started yet. A few hours into our trip (about 3) in Blythe, California, our bus breaks down in the middle of no where, with no AC, no water, no nothing in 113 degree weather!! Since I had sat in the front, I could hear the bus driver cursing and using profanity (NOT professional at all). People started getting out of the bus and standing around trying to capture some shade under thin stems and branches. The driver told us he called for another bus and did not have an estimate of time as to when they will arrive. We had a funeral to attend and we're depending on making every connection and stop in time!
Of course this set us back a few hours and when a bus finally arrived, they only had room for 15 passengers! Luckily we got a seat and were on our way; however, when we arrived in El Paso, they almost did not let us back on the bus because even though we had our re-board passes, we did not have the original ticket because the driver of the first bus took it before it broke down! The employees were all unorganized, unprofessional, rude, and useless. It was about 3am and the station was packed with people. With only one person working bother the lines and the desk, it was impossible to get any assistance. The bus, which we were suppose to re-board with our re-board passes, had all out luggage and belongings, yet they told is we could not get on because we needed a new ticket! Again, we waited several hours before anyone could help. As a result, we missed our last connecting bus to Marfa, Texas.
In addition to that, the new bus we finally boarded also broke down TWO times! The AC, once again, did not work in this bus as well. It was horrible!!!!!! We had a funeral to get to and your company ruined such a tragic time in our lives.
This review is only telling our travel to texas and not back. Our travel back was just as bad, if not worse, than getting there! The driver was late to our connecting bus and we missed it. Had to stay an additional 7 hours waiting for the next bus to come around in the middle of nowhere!!!
I WILL NEVER RIDE A GREYHOUND BUS EVER AGAIN. And, I WILL make sure my family and friends do not either.