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Anyone taking the Bus aka the Dog for all or part of there trip this holiday?

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Anyone taking the Bus aka the Dog for all or part of there trip this holiday?
Posted by CandOforprogress2 on Thursday, November 30, 2017 11:53 AM

Have to take Coach USA for a final 2 hour leg of my journey from the Train Station. I used to take Androndac Trailways but they have just gotten as bad as the Dog. Coach USA is ok but there bus fleet is being run down as money seems to be in short supply

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Posted by Kevin C. Smith on Sunday, December 3, 2017 9:50 PM

All of my train trip have to begin/end with a bus connection (Gren Bay, WI-Milwaukee, WI). The next one will be a couple of day in Chicago next week. Fortunately, there are three different bus companies, and the dog buggy isn't usually the schedule I need. The only difference I have noticed on the few times I have used Greyhound is that their seats are too crowded (52 people/bus?). I am just over 6 feet tall, and cannot sit in one of their seats. I simply don't fit the pitch.

"Look at those high cars roll-finest sight in the world."
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Posted by Enzoamps on Monday, December 4, 2017 1:35 AM

I live in Lansing,MI.  When we take Amtrak to Washington DC, we catch the train in Toledo, Ohio.  There is a Lansing Amtrak station on the Chicago route, and they offer a through bus connection down to Toledo from Lansing station.  But that Bus stops in several other cities too and is a three and a half hour bus ride.

But the Toledo station is around a hundred miles away, and I can drive there in about an hour and a half.  So we never take that bus, and save two hours.  And since the return train gets in about 5AM, we like to stop somewhere for breakfast on the way home, something the bus will not do, and we still get home quicker than the bus.  Free parking right at the Toledo station

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Posted by CandOforprogress2 on Monday, December 4, 2017 11:26 AM

I wonder of you can buy two seats get back to you on this. The back of the bus may help too.

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Posted by CMStPnP on Monday, December 4, 2017 12:55 PM

CandOforprogress2
Coach USA is ok but there bus fleet is being run down as money seems to be in short supply

I just chartered a Coach USA bus between the Milwaukee Amtrak Depot and Mineral Point, WI and return this past summer.    We got a late model SETRA that still had the new smell to it.    So perhaps you got a bad franchise or they give you a more used bus.

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Posted by Electroliner 1935 on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 12:52 AM

My last trip on the Dog was this spring when the Cincinnati RR Club had a tour of the Amtrak Beechgrove shops that I wanted to go on. I was able to take the Hoosier from Chicago to Indy (which I had ben wanting to do) where I stayed overnite in a hotel. Not wanting to stay another night and get up to take the Cardinal back at 6 AM in the morning, I found a bus schedule that left at 6 PM and got me into Chicago in less running time than #51. Due in Chicago at 9;10 PM (Time zone change). Made connection to 9:40 commuter train home. Bus made stops in LaFayette, Gary, and 95th & Dan Ryan in Chicago, so it wasn't an express. Bus was governed to not exceed 67 mph which I could confirm on cell phone GPS. Bus had wi-fi, and a good smooth ride. Not full, had a seat all by myself. Why didn't I fly? Considered it but delayed buying a ticket and the "Want-To-Get-Away" fare of $79 vanished and I wasn't going to pay $150 to fly when $35 would get me there. That's the result of being raised by depression era parents. The Hoosier was nice having diner in the big dome and not traveling over 60 mph on CSX. Getting out of Chicago was 40 mph to Dolton, 20 mph to Thorton, 79 mph on CN to the CSX where we ran at 60.  No freight trains noted. Arrived at all stops early, waited for schedule times to depart, and the schedule padding had us in Indy 25 minutes ahead of schedule.  

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Posted by CandOforprogress2 on Thursday, December 14, 2017 9:00 AM

My favorite bus company does not go everywhere but it does have nice drivers and does make Amtrak connections in many places. It also goes to small towns that Greyhound gave up on and sometimes takes local country roads to preety places. Bikes need not be in Boxes. Short Line is now part of this group.

https://www.coachusa.com/

 

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Posted by BLS53 on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 2:48 AM

CandOforprogress2

My favorite bus company does not go everywhere but it does have nice drivers and does make Amtrak connections in many places. It also goes to small towns that Greyhound gave up on and sometimes takes local country roads to preety places. Bikes need not be in Boxes. Short Line is now part of this group.

https://www.coachusa.com/

 

 

A quick survey of their website shows them to be northeast centric, and only serving a few larger cities in states elsewhere.

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Posted by BLS53 on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 3:01 AM

I would have to have reached the bottom of the barrel before I used Greyhound. People who ride them are either broke, or frugal to the point of needing psychological help.

One only has to look at the Google reviews or YouTube videos to realize the only difference between Greyhound and prisoner transportation is the lack of shackles.

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Posted by CandOforprogress2 on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 1:15 PM

You could end up siting next to this guy-

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Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, December 21, 2017 9:52 AM

CandOforprogress2
You could end up siting next to this guy-

Yep - the blonde kid is scary!

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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