Iltalehti’s reporter tested the travel comfort of the Greyhound bus on a trip to California that lasted all night.
The Bay Bridge takes you directly from the heart of San Francisco to Oakland. Janne Palomäki
It was not pleasant news.
Already from the first days of this World Cup trip, I had suffered from – to put it nicely – a very short notice stomach. That’s why the Greyhound bus driver Jose’s the words felt really overwhelming.
– The toilet of this car is not in use. I recommend to everyone that you still spend time here at the terminal, he said.
Of course, I had nothing against the ice-cold restrooms at Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco. I was just afraid – quite rightly – how my stomach would endure the nearly 700 km and 9.5 hour bus ride ahead.
The car won’t start
It was José’s turn to get nervous when, at 10:30 p.m., he started warming up the Canadian Prevost bus.
The first attempt was unsuccessful.
And not the other one. Nor the third.
Somewhere after the sixth or seventh attempt, José jumped out of his seat, opened the hood next to the rear wheel, and tried to start the Prevost from there.
No results.
The situation was starting to look so desperate that I booked myself one more night in San Francisco and a morning Delta flight to Los Angeles.
The Greyhound company was founded in 1914 in Minnesota. Janne Palomäki
Fortunately, they weren’t needed, because after about fifteen minutes of trying, the Prevost hummed weakly into motion.
At the same time, the driver rushed back to his seat to raise the revs, cursing as if not noticing the car’s battery in Spanish.
The bus is filling up
San Francisco is a funny city because as soon as the Greyhound moved on, we were already out of town.
The Bay Bridge starts right at the door of the bus terminal, and although it’s reputation is far behind the Golden Gate leading directly to the north, it’s no mean feat with around 260,000 daily cars.
The bridge leads directly to Oakland, where José had to apologize for being six minutes late.
However, he did not tell the reason for that. Prevost stayed on just in case.
José (left) advised a passenger to change buses at the Los Angeles end. Janne Palomäki
In San Francisco, besides me, only four passengers left for the trip. But at each intermediate stop, more people kept getting on board, so that by the end the bus was already half full.
Service station relief
For example, in front of San Jose’s Diridon station, the driver had to explain for a long time how this particular bus would not continue to Anaheim, but another car from the same company would pick up the passengers in Los Angeles.
Eventually the message got through and a group of passengers moved to the back of the bus.
Not everyone respected the silence, even though at this point it was already one in the morning. The approach of the wolf didn’t make people calm down even for a moment, when there was a heated discussion about their own interpersonal relationships.
Fortunately, José’s warning about a completely toilet-free trip was not entirely true. At 2:50 a.m. the Greyhound arrived at the Valero gas station yard in Coalinga.
The Valero gas station offers the first toilet break of the journey shortly before three. Janne Palomäki
The building was completely dark from the outside, but only passengers walked in the door. I stayed behind because I didn’t want to get into stomach trouble.
Valero’s selection store was quite narrow. I didn’t get the extra snacks and returned to my place contentedly, snuggling back into the sleeping bag.
German ownership
The first rush hour fills Interstate 5 just before San Fernando. Janne Palomäki
Even with good intentions, the trip cannot be said to be particularly pleasant. To top it all off, Prevost’s air conditioning was screaming at full blast, blowing a cold blast right in the face.
Somewhere before San Fernando, the sun began to make itself known. At the same time, Greyhound ran into the first rush hour of the morning. The four-lane Interstate 5 was not enough to absorb the huge amount of cars, and José began to get nervous again about the possibility of being late.
However, the car arrived well ahead of time at the last intermediate stop in San Fernando. The Greyhound company’s own break room did not offer refreshments, but there was an opportunity for other refreshments.
Despite its Canadian roots, Prevost is fully owned by Volvo Buses. Janne Palomäki
The last leg towards Union Station in Los Angeles was already in full sunshine. Even a little traffic jam didn’t bother me anymore, because I was sure that I would make it to the finish line in one piece.
The most confusing thing about the Greyhound trip was that the company’s mobile app is bright green and says Flixbus. A short google search revealed a surprising truth: a German company operating in Finland acquired an “English greyhound” as early as 2021.
The very next year, it lightened the cost structure of the traditional company founded in Minnesota in 1914, which could save Greyhound’s continuity.
Anyway, José didn’t have to think about it. He directed the bus a couple of minutes early to the upper yard of Union Station and opened the luggage compartment.
– Thanks for the company and have a good day.
Iltalehti’s editor is happy to have arrived safely in Los Angeles. Janne Palomäki
I took my backpack with me and thanked my luck that I don’t have to make these transitions very often.