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Previous: Apple sauce label | Main | Next: Cylinda stove
September 28, 2005 12:03 AM
Broken: Greyhound.com trip planner
Jessamyn West writes:
To figure out how to get from point A to point B in New England, you often have to check the web sites of several bus companies. Greyhound's site has a trip planner, which is handy, except when it's not. I was trying to plan a trip from Boston to Fall River which, Greyhound tells me, is 53 miles. However, on the same page, they tell me that my bus trip there will take *13 hours* and involve three transfers. Their software needs a reality check mechanism.
What they should say, of course, is "you can't get there from here" I'd even settle for a "WARNING: we have noticed that the miles per hour of this trip is below ten and have thus concluded that there may be better options for you somewhere other than Greyhound."
I feel for people who somehow think that Greyhound is their only option and buy tickets like these. I went over to Bonanza's web site [printable PDFs and GIFs of schedules only, no trip planner] and got to Fall River with them in under an hour.
_@_v - i once bought a trailways ticket for a trip to syracuse cuz it was a few bux cheaper than what greyhound wanted. anyone want to guess what company's bus i ended up on?
_@_v - yep, that trailways ticket got me on a greyhound bus. i guess greyhound makes a buck by keeping busses running full or something like that...
trailways = greyhound
years ago greyhound bought out trailways. So if their are any trailways busses they are owned by greyhound
they wouldn't say that there may be better options for you somewhere other than Greyhound, they don't want to lose buisness.
"they wouldn't say that there may be better options for you somewhere other than Greyhound, they don't want to lose buisness."
Sure they would. It's called good customer relations. Haven't you ever gone into a store that didn't quite have what you wanted, but the clerk suggested another retailer for you to try? Granted that sort of thing is getting rare these days as people bow lower and lower to the almighty dollar, but it's not (yet) entirely unheard of, and I think it would be a good move on Greyhound's part to do something like that.
But what do I know?..
Trailways + Peter Pan = Greyhound.
I often take Greyhound from Buffalo to Worcester Ma. I've seen so many awful things like:
a. bus driver nodding off
b. different bus driver actually flinging elderly woman's walker across parking lot because she fell asleep on bus and woke up just as bus was leaving and driver had to get her walker from underneath
c. bus driver telling passengers that's what you get when you take the bus, if you want class, don't go Greyhound (swearing)
It's always a "trip."
PS The plural of bus is buses, not busses. Busses means kisses.
"they wouldn't say that there may be better options for you somewhere other than Greyhound, they don't want to lose buisness."
Sure they would. It's called good customer relations. Haven't you ever gone into a store that didn't quite have what you wanted, but the clerk suggested another retailer for you to try? Granted that sort of thing is getting rare these days as people bow lower and lower to the almighty dollar, but it's not (yet) entirely unheard of, and I think it would be a good move on Greyhound's part to do something like that.
But what do I know?..
I don't know much about bus lines since I've never really used them, but I did notice that you're leaving close to 1 a.m. Is it possible that when you get dropped off at the first transfer you have to wait like 6 hours for them to open in the morning?
Even so, it's still ridiculous that it would take 13 hours to go 53 miles.
That being said, it's not as straightforward as you might think to build in that kind of automated warning. You either have to define a hard-set cutoff like a 10 mph average, or come up with complex algorithms based on the distance and number of transfers. If 10 mph is the cutoff, then the software will give the OK for an 11 mph trip. Raise the cutoff to 11 mph, and it will OK 12 mph. At some point it will start giving warnings about valid trips.
It's a hell of a lot simpler for the person to view it, decide it's not their cup o' tea, and search elsewhere. The warning message would basically do the same thing, right?
That's not as bad as I've gotten on airline scheduling before.
Desired flight: Las Vegas -> San Francisco -> Shanghai.
One option offered: Las Vegas -> San Francisco -> Chicago -> San Francisco -> Shanghai. (The flight originates in Chicago.)
I've also been offered numerous flights via Europe.
They have to schedule time for their employees to get out and stretch by throwing walkers, lest they get carpal tunnel and sue, get workman's comp., which would raise rates and end up costing the same as an airline ticket.
Greyhound ticket - 23 hours and $110.00 to get from NC to FL. Southwest - $89.00 4 hours.
As someone who lives in the boston area, I'd love to know how they got you from Boston to Fall River in under an hour. It's just not possible the hours I'm on the road.
>cross that, public transport is eeeevil
no, the problem is that you're living in a third world country. Try public transport in germany or switzerland.
Lady Jane>
Im not sure of your local culture, but i do
believe both 'buses' and 'busses' are acceptable
in the US. May i derect you to this page ==>>
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=busses&x=10&y=12
this reminds me of that one error on a map website, where it had you going all around europe just to go a small distance
I stand corrected on the busses vs. buses comment, ALTHOUGH buses is the preferred plural. Thanks for your thoroughness.
LadyJane just couldn`t let go of it without a last,feeble stab at one-ups-manship.
LadyJane must be a joy to be around !
as for the idiot who wrote... trailways=greyhound..... man, you are the biggest moron in the u.s. you have no idea. They are two different companies still. in 1987 greyhound bought out continental trailways, which was trailways's biggest carrier at that time. it put greyhound in real financial trouble. 2 years later, greyhound went on a 3 year strike, which the company will never recover from. At that note, there were many companies under the Trailways name that were still out there, and staying alive. And today, trailways is so strong and big again, there are over 70 across the u.s. and canada. they are now bigger than greyhound again, and now greyhound is cutting routes like crazy, trailways is taking them over slowly. The reason that you buy a Trailways ticket, and end up on a greyhound bus is because some companies share a pool agreement. That means... some buses are shared, as a driver as well when needed,same ticket prices, same terminals, all FOR PASSENGER CONVIENENCE!!!!!! not something that i like, but what can you do. complain. there is a HUGE difference between the companies though. Trailways has brand new busses, and nice drivers. Greyhound has junk on the road, and a bunch of disrespectful drivers. BUT DONT EVER WRITE GREYHOUND = TRAILWAYS because it is so untrue and there are many outthere that would write the same if they saw this. watch yourself. if you need to see the truth, go to www.trailways.com nathan
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Previous: Apple sauce label | Main | Next: Cylinda stove
hey man, waddya xpect from a company run by dogs.
Posted by: gmangw at September 28, 2005 12:23 AM