If you search Greyhound on Tripadvisor, the adjectives you’re most likely to encounter in the mass of 1 star reviews are “miserable,” “WORST,

Can A German Bus Startup Really Make Greyhound Suck Less?

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2025-01-10 20:00:05

If you search Greyhound on Tripadvisor, the adjectives you’re most likely to encounter in the mass of 1 star reviews are “miserable,” “WORST,” and “stranded.” The criticism is vicious and seemingly all encompassing, covering everything from rude drivers and smelly buses to delays and abandonments.

“APPALLING!!!!! Our bus never arrived in LA and we were left to sleep on the streets for over seven hours to wait for the morning bus. Then our luggage got stolen on the bus,” reads one recent review. Another frustrated commenter offered a terse regret: “I guess I should have read the reviews first.”

Despite this reputation, 12 million passengers rode Greyhound buses last year to college, a new job or for a fresh start cross country. It remains the cheapest way to get from A to B for passengers who mostly make less than $40,000 a year.

But its reputation for dirty, delayed and even dangerous buses has meant increasing numbers of Americans are instead opting to drive or fly on discount airlines like Spirit. And after the pandemic dealt a painful blow to the 110-year-old American stalwart, halving its ridership, one of its new rivals — an express bus startup called Flix — bought the company for just $172 million, down almost 80% from a $800 million valuation a decade earlier.

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