Greyhound Ticket Question From Montreal to NYC

General Questions
#1

Hello. I wanted to know if you want to take a bus from montreal to nyc, i know its trailways and greyhound, i called the trailway number. I already know where that big bus station is where the buses go and arrive.

I have few questions.

  1. I check online you can buy tickets online but if you do, you can only use it for that time. I would not want to do this b/c if i buy it and then im late, then the ticket is no good right?
  2. Is there a very good chance bus will be full if its on the weekend if you dont arrive early? Say i want to take a bus that has 9am departure, how early do i have to arrive at the bus station at the montreal bus station to purchase the ticket and then wait on the line. If i get there at 8am… is there good chance no more space? I know buying ticket there shouldnt be big line. So even if someone buys a ticket in advance online then if they show up at 8am and long line, then they might not be able to take the bus? I heard there aren’t reservations and its first come first serve. So what happens if too much ppl buy it online on that certain date/time then? Do those ppl who get there few hours early and buy ticket early then get priority?
  3. Can you buy ticket in advance at the bus station? For example if i go there right now, could i buy it and use it anytime this week or would it have to be used for a certain day/time. Reason is being i dont want to get there and then ticket are sold out for that time i want to leave.
    Basically the person on the phone trailways told me the only information they have is get there 45 minutes before the departure with a ticket with no more additional information. So if i want to take 9am bus, how early should i get there to guarantee myself a ticket and a seat.

Im buying a 1 way ticket only.

#2

There is a bus at 730am, then one at 9am and then one at 11:15am on the day im planning to go. The next one would be 5:30pm.
I wanted to know if i want to take the 9am one… if i get there at 8am… if i purchase ticket at the window then wait in line that should be fine? Or should i get my ticket earlier or does that NOT MATTER AT ALL?
Can you even buy ticket in advance at the window? The reason why i dont want to buy it in advance is b/c i dont want to buy it at 9am and then im late for it and then have to buy another ticket… or if i get there suddenly no more space. I read some ppl mention if you buy it at window, u could use it anytime for that day only?
I just called greyhound. They said if i buy tickets online beforehand, as long as i have arrive 1 hour before departure i will be fine.

I asked them well what if i come to the bus station 2 hours before and then buy a ticket… would i be able to. Then they told me if they online tickets are sold out… then no. Is this wrong? Because i thought you could buy your bus ticket at terminal at any time. So say i want to take 9 o clock bus, if i get there at 730am… cant i just buy ticket for 9am and then wait on the line at 7:45am?

He said if i go and buy a ticket on the same day of my departure, there is a chance i wont be able to buy a ticket for a certain time because its all full. Is that true/false?
Also how many buses are there that departs in each time slot? I assume its always 1 though?
Greyhound is really confusing because they say its first come first serve yet i read they sell as much tickets as possible online so what happens if too much ppl?

#3

Because right now im planning to just buy the ticket online. Because im confused what happens when im one of the last few ppl to buy these tickets online and when i get there, they say its full or something like that.
Their policy is very confusing. Because the way i look at it… couldnt someone just go to the bus station 2-3 hours before and buy a ticket for the 9am or 11am bus and thus have same priority as those who purchase ticket before hand? Of course this person would be in front of the line? The only negative of this is you pay full price for a ticket as oppose to discount to those who purchased in advance.

Would appreciate if someone famiilar with greyhound can answer this. I have taken it before but only when in the usa and never took it going through the border.

#4

The part you are not grasping is that if the tickets have sold out online, it won’t matter how early you show up at the bus station because if there are no more tickets left you can’t buy one. They do not sell an infinite number of tickets and then let the first ones who show up be the only ones who are allowed to board the bus.

If tickets are refundable, they may have a no-show policy of let’s say two open seats on the bus ten minutes before they are leaving the gate, so two people in line can buy a ticket and get on. If tickets are non-refundable, it’s like a concert. They don’t care if you are on board or not. The seat is paid for.

#5

I don’t know the answer to your question, but I just took a RT Montreal-Boston. I bought the tickets online. I think there is a slight change fee, but I don’t think the driver ever looked at the time and date on the ticket.

Greyhound has managed to make the seats even more uncomfortable than airlines and with less leg room. I won’t do that again. Once upon a time, there was a BusPlus that made the trip non-stop to NY in about 6 1/2 hours and supplied a box lunch. Now they stop everywhere. Also the customs guy would come on the bus. Now you have to take all your carry-on and get off and go through customs. On the return I also had to shlep my under-the-bus luggage through customs.

When I go to NY (I have kids in both NY and Boston) I take the train. It takes forever (about 11 hours) but the customs agents come on board, there is plenty of room, a snack bar, easy to walk around. I will never take that bus again.

#6

Last time I rode Greyhound (and given, this was ages ago), it was casual enough that when I missed a bus I was able to simply board the next scheduled bus with the same ticket. That said, that route ran half-empty buses and if your route is busier obviously that won’t be an option for you.

I’d buy tickets in advance, whether online or at the station, and pay close attention to the return policy (at the time you buy it!) if you think it’s likely you will miss departure.

If you have tickets for a specific bus, it’s your responsibility to be at the bus station at the appropriate time. The bus won’t wait for you. If you’re lucky, you may be able to board the next one. If not, … tough. Sorry.