BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

"Picking Up The Pieces".......

If in the event that GREYHOUND does disappear, what will happen to their routes?

Abandoned outright?

Picked up by private operators? (what remains of them)

Whatever the scenario might entail, it is sure to come up far, far short of the once-vast GREYHOUND network that once criss-crossed the country.

With GREYHOUND on the brink of extinction, non-NEC Amtrak service facing uncertain times, and the airlines cutting back services, perhaps the best solution is for folks to simply stay near "home base", and watch the world go by.

Seriously, there dos not seem to be any simple solution to any of the current intercity travel woes that are so commonplace nowadays.....

"NYO"

[traildriver]

NYO--

Sadly, your observations are spot-on...

Our world is becoming more and more like a "virtual world", where everyone stays in place, and does things "virtually" on their phone or computer...

Work
School
Meetings
Travel
Entertainment
Visits
Doctor

As technology advances, this will become even more prevelant...
recall the "Holideck" on Star Trek show? Even vacation's were imaginary....

Sorry for the future generations....

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

traildriver:

Yes, I indeed well recall the "Holideck" on Star Trek (recall, too, when Captain Picard went on a "virtual reality" time journey when he traveled back to the 1940's, as "Detective Dixon Hill"; Picard looked quite dashing in his 1940's suit and Bogart-style fedora!)

With technology ever-advancing, and more and more people working/learning from home, you cannot help but wonder what the future holds for public transportation in general?

Could ALL public transport vanish one day, with the need to commute and to travel ever shrinking?:

It is, indeed, a most sobering thought, one, I hope, that never comes to pass.

These days, however, one cannot help but to wonder.......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Given these uncertain times, one cannot help but wonder how the current health crises is affecting the market for customized tour buses, used by entertainers.

With virtually all entertainment venues now "on hold" or "online", it would seem that there is, currently, little need for entertainers traveling via private coach.

MARATHON COACH has long been in the business of coach conversions, utilizing PREVOST body shells; what the future holds for this bus venue is indeed anyone's guess, these days......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevost_Car

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

See also:

https://www.marathoncoach.com/coach-inventory/

[traildriver]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

traildriver:

Less than $5 GRAND for a used 45-foot highway coach??

Man, that REALLY makes you stand up and take notice!!

With GREYHOUND cutting back even more, and, coupled with the fact that there is currently a glut of used highway coaches on the market, one cannot help but wonder if these buses will ever find a buyer, or, will eventually, be sold for scrap.

Not at all a pleasant time for bus companies, bus builders, or bus operators.......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

From: "GOING THE GREYHOUND WAY" (Gabrick):

".........in the 1930's, bus companies competed with each other by lowering rates often below the level of profitably. GREYHOUND favored government regulation to reduce the impact of the hundreds of small bus lines offering low fares......"

".........however, throughout the 1970's, GREYHOUND urged the deregulation of the transportation industry. In a 'be careful what you wish for' scenario, the 1983 annual report declared that the 'new, deregulated transportation industry had presented GREYHOUND with a maze of blind alleys, and dead ends.' .......""

"........in addition to the bus fare war, 'airline deregulation had spawned dozens of new, feisty airlines, whose bare-bones operating policies and non-union workforce allowed them not only to challenged the established airlines, but also, bus operators as well, offering fares that were less than half of those of intercity bus lines'......"

An ill wind was indeed a-blowin' up a mighty storm.......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Also from the 2009 Gabrick book:

".......despite the decline in the number of those riding the bus, as well as the decline of its status, GREYHOUND continues to motor on-the British firm, FirstGroup PLC, acquired Laidlaw International in 2007-and, most importantly, to remain a cultural icon......."

When I was still working on the (then packed!) floor of the NYSE, many eons ago, the day LAIDLAW listed on the NYSE, small, promotional die-cast GREYHOUND buses were given out to all entering the building, with "LAIDLAW INTERNATIONAL, INC./NYSE LISTED" printed on the roof.

Yes, Your's Truly up several that day, and are now proudly displayed in my extensive "Hound" collection........

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

A timely line from the classic 1967 Diana Ross and the Supremes' song, "Reflections":

".....reflections of the way life used to be........"

Today, when we discuss the once-great GREYHOUND empire, or look at vintage photos (or, view photos of restored buses) we, indeed, are seeing "reflections of the way life used to be".

When one recalls just how much GREYHOUND and its sleek buses were once so very much a an integral part of the fabric of America, and then, sees the fading shadow that reflects today's ever-shrinking operations, it is, indeed, make for a sobering experience, reflecting on the past glories of what once was America's premier bus company.......

"NYO"

[traildriver]

NYO--

Have you seen the movie, "Tomorrowland"?

If not, you must watch it. The opening scene is worth the entire movie, where a boy arrives aboard a Greyhound Suburban to visit the 1964 New York World's Fair.
The driver announces: "Last stop, NY World's Fair, welcome to the future", or something like that...

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

.......at the '64/'65 Fair, what GREYHOUND enthusiast can ever forget the "ESCORTERS", "GLIDE-A-RIDES", and , of course, Fishbowls.......

Good thing we didn't have a crystal ball to see what the future was REALLY going to be like.......(!!)

REALITY CHECK........NOT(!!)

"NYO"

[traildriver]

Here's a couple of shots from the film...

Looks at first, amazingly authentic, but....I can't tell for certain, but that Suburban looks like a 35 footer to my eye, judging only by the length of the side window...could just be the camera perspective playing tricks on me...
Greyhound at the World's Fair Suburban's were all SDH-5302's I believe..

https://productplacementblog.com/movies/greyhound-lines-in-tomorrowland-2015/

Another wrong detail, was the Suburban's were only used within the Fair...Greyhound did not have any line runs direct to the Fair, to my knowledge. You had to travel to the Port, and then take the subway. They did of course run charter's there, but never with Suburban's...

This is the only place I can point out such trivia...my wife gets mad at me whenever I point out inaccuracies in movies...she say's to just enjoy the film and not nitpick over details...