USA Bus Lines

Im going across 4 provinces (Canada) on a greyhound bus.. any tips/advice? +LOTS OF QUESTIONS please help :(?

Im so nervous, but, this is the only way i can afford getting home :/ so it's a 2 day and like 10 hour trip, and it's probably going to feel painfully long so im doing my best to prepare myself. I'm fairly young (17) and going all by myself. Is this really unsafe, or do you think i can trust my drivers and the people at the stations to help me? I'll only be doing 1 transfer in Toronto. 1) Do the busses have outlets? / wifi? 2) How crowded are the busses usually? 3) What kinds of meals should i prepare myself with? (good for travel) 4) Are the drivers nice/helpful? 5) Have you ever traveled with Greyhound or Greyhound Canada? If so, how was your trip? thank you so much (: so nervous..

Public Comments

1. I've done the trip twice from Alberta to Niagara Falls. Thats four provinces too but you don't mention which 4 you are going through. You can go from down east to Ontario in 2 days and hit 4 provinces which is a lot quicker then the trips I did. In the end though, in my experience: 1) Most of the buses have outlets for laptops and MP3 players but they don't have wifi. If they do now it's a bonus I wish I had back then. 2) They are not generally overly crowded. You should be able to have a spare seat next to you or better. 3) Bring something light like fruit and such. The bus will be stopping along the way anyway so the drivers can eat and get a rest so you will have chances to eat more substantial meals then. 4) I've always found the drivers helpful and pleasant however they don't want people talking to them while they drive. They want to keep their full attention on their tasks. 5) My trips were always 5-6 days. I scheduled at least one overnight along the way but that was my choice and I could afford the hotel room. Don't over worry it all. You'll be fine.
2. Usually there are power outlets, but Wifi is only on a few major routes like Montreal-Toronto...most of the buses don't have any wifi... How crowded the bus is can vary greatly. On a popular commuter route, there might be standing room only, but on the less popular routes you could easily have 2 seats to yourself. I would say bring some crackers, jerky, canned fish, dry cereal, trail mix, and other non-perishable ready-to-eat foods that you can easily snack on. The bus will make meal stops at restaurants though. I've never met a bus driver who wasn't helpful, but there are all kinds of people...you never know. I certainly don't think you'd ever be in danger though. Obviously ya, you occasionally hear horror stories of people being attacked on buses on the news, but that's no more likely to happen, in fact probably less likely to happen, as if you were just walking outside... I've travelled on Greyhound Canada a number of times, but I prefer to take the train. It's much more comfortable on VIA Rail and you can walk up and down the train if you get bored. You can usually find seat sales (like right now 50% off all online purchases for the summer) that make it competitive with the bus. If the train doesn't go right to where you want to go, just take the train as close as you can, and then transfer to a bus. That's what I would do, anyway...
3. I agree with the other two answerers and add that at 17 years old it's time you stretched your wings and travel. You'll be fine, just do it.