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The Greyhound Canada Internet site has helpful timetables to download, but the Greyhound USA Internet site makes schedule comparison more difficult.

On the Greyhound USA Internet site, you can easily find departure and arrival times, but on-line access to connection points, the route taken (which determines the scenery you see), or the number of stops (which can be especially important at night when you are trying to sleep) is more awkward than just looking at a timetable, especially if you want to compare various choices.

Why is this so important? Here is an example. These times are outdated, but they illustrate the point.

Let's suppose that you are travelling from Chicago to Las Vegas. Once, the Greyhound Internet site told us you could depart at 1:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 12:01 Noon, 12:01 Noon (a second departure at same time), 2:45 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 10:15 p.m.

Here is a summary of what you would experience with these choices.

• The 1:00 a.m. departure involves a convenient connection in Salt Lake City, but misses the best part of the Rocky Mountains and crossing the Mississippi River during daylight.
  
  
• The 2:00 a.m. coach needs no connection, but misses seeing the Rockies during daylight.
  
  
• The 9:45 a.m. coach travels through to Las Vegas, but goes through some of the beautiful Rockies at night. However, it stops the least of any of these choices.
  
  
• The first 12:01 Noon bus has a convenient connection in Salt Lake City and sees the Mississippi River, but misses the most scenic portion of the Rockies altogether.
  
  
• The second 12:01 Noon departure needs no connection, sees the Mississippi during daylight,and spends a full day travelling through the most scenic portion of the Colorado Rockies. Its late evening arrival in Las Vegas shows the neon lighted city at its best.
  

This is why it is so important to study timetables and maps. Just knowing the times that you leave your first city and arrive at your ultimate destination is not sufficient if you are serious about maximizing the enjoyment of your trip.

Therefore, Dr. Voyageur suggests that Greyhound pass holders and others who will use coach travel extensively order the Greyhound System Timetable, which is published five or six times a year.

If in Canada or the U.S., you may purchase a timetable by sending a cheque or money order in the amount of U.S. $11 to the address below. If outside of Canada or the U.S., you have to pay U.S. $16 with a bank-issued cheque or money order, which includes shipping and handling. (Reconfirm prices at Greyhound USA.)

Greyhound Lines, Inc.
Attn: Treasury M/S 440
350 North St. Paul Street
Dallas, TX 75201
USA

This timetable has schedules for all Greyhound and Greyhound subsidiary companies in Canada and the United States, plus some 20 other inter-city coach lines.

Having this comprehensive resource makes planning your trip fun.

While waiting for this to arrive, study the Greyhound route map to see all the places you can travel.

Note that Greyhound is vigorously eliminating money losing routes, so please reconfirm your itinerary prior to travelling. Some routes are now served by the partner carriers in the back of the Greyhound guide. Others like service along the Oregon coastline are gone.

Go To >> Greyhound - Travelling scenic coach routes

Go To >> Greyhound - Getting the best fares

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