Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Why I go greyhound when possible

My insurance doesn't work out of state.  Well, it doesn't work on my medication, I've never tried it on things like doctors visits.  Without insurance my medication is hideously expensive.  (Tried the low cost alternative, didn't work.)  I think it might be more expensive than all of my other living expenses combined.  I could never afford that.

So I don't buy medication out of state.  But if I'm going to be out of state for a while and I forgot my medication...

I needed a round trip.  I naturally went to greyhound, my preferred bus company in the area.  They couldn't help, they could get me back to home, but not back from home.  The bus was full and they admitted that.

So I went Concord.

The way over was ok.  They'd overbooked but were able to commandeer an extra bus and shove everyone in to two buses.  Not a single empty seat and I'm not totally sure that they got everyone but they did get me.  One uncomfortable trip later and I'm walking in the general direction of home.  I stop to have lunch, I should have eaten it faster.

Also there seems to have been something wrong with foot that more than three solid hours of nothing but walking (with occasional running) made way worse.

I get home, get the medication, and head back but by now the problem with my foot is noticeably slowing me down.

Even though I was exhausted I had to run to have any hope of making the bus.

I reached the point where I was too exhausted to run more than a few steps.  Without the wind on my face from running I was overheating.  I began to start to wonder what the warning signs for heatstroke were.  More ordeal.

I made it in.  The bus hadn't left yet.  Woo!

I wanted to buy a drink but I only had one dollar and the vending machines charged 2 dollars.

A drinking fountain!  I quickly collapsed to my knees and gulped down water.  Drinking fountains are a good size for a person my size to use from their knees.

I think I must have been too dehydrated to sweat or something because soon after sitting in line (which is what I did after spending many minutes drinking) I was drenched where before not so much.

The bus arrived half an hour late.  All that work to get there on time was for nothing.  I could have limped at a reasonable limping speed (my left foot would have preferred that) and made it there.

It started boarding 40 minutes late.

There were about 30ish people in line for it, they were still selling tickets for it.  I was 12th in line.  I should make it on, right?  Wrong, of course.

There were only ten seats.

The bus was almost full.  They knew that there were some 20 people in line who wouldn't make it on the bus, and they were still selling fucking tickets.

An hour later I got on the next bus.

So why do I prefer Greyhound?

First, it's somewhat cheaper.

Second, when a bus is full they STOP SELLING TICKETS.

3 comments:

  1. That is incredibly awful. On Southwest Airlines they freaking well pay you to take a later plane if they want to overbook.

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  2. How can they get away with that? That's awful!

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    Replies
    1. Hey now, it's an accepted Ferengi transit practice!

      (No, seriously, it is. They are literally booking their buses the Ferengi way.)

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