Gothamist: Greyhound Bus From NYC Crashes Upstate

Ginger

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:44:27 -0500

I was supposed to be on that bus.... my holiday plans got changed, and if they hadn't of i would of been on the way home to Ontario, Canada from Saratoga Springs... I had taken that route many times Ontario/Montreal/Albany...for me it was easier on my budget to travel by bus (left more money for shopping)than to travel by train or plane, because i made that trip 3-4 times a yr... i feel bad for the families of the deceased, and my thoughts and prayers go out to any of those on that bus...

just saying

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:19:47 -0500

The latest news is reporting that a front wheel blew out which caused the driver to lose control. Huh? Doesn't Greyhound do routine maintenance to check for this kind of common problem? Sounds like someone dropped the ball here. A lot of people may not be aware of it, but NYC gets a lot of visitors from Quebec province--many of whom seem to arrive here by bus. I always see those obvious buses with French wording and Quebec license plates around Grand Central on Saturdays. Very sad that there were so many casualties.

x-new yorker

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:54:54 -0500

You're shittin me! amtrack is slower than greyhound going to and from montreal/nyc? I'd probably lean toward the train anyway--it's so much more comfortable than being squashed on a bus with a bunch of smelly people (from my past greyhound experience.)

bumbaclaut

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:07:24 -0500

Isn't it odd that they can not find the driver’s body? Where are the Cadaver dogs?

bumbaclaut

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:03:24 -0500

Larry: You obviously don't get out much. There is nothing wrong with a bus ride to Canada. The leaves are beginning to change their colors. It is the time of year for tours up state and all points north. Get a life. Where do you live? You sound sheltered. You sound like you live in a "fools paradise." Check out the specials Larr.

Saratoga

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:55:40 -0500

13 - they said on the radio this morning that the bus had just left the Saratoga Springs rest stop, but in my experience, the driver doesn't change there.

Larry

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:45:41 -0500

What kind of fool takes a BUS to Montreal??? Idiots.

oh canada

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:07:37 -0500

What's the "Northway"? A train ride back when they had a smoking car and a bar car was fun for short trips of 6 hrs or less. Do they have wi-fi on Amtrak? at least, you may get cell phone service. Did the bus make some stops along the way and changed drivers? I know when I traveled down south we made a stop in Wash DC and Richmond VA. The driver was also speeding according to my GPS. It was in the 80's.

Laura

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:46:46 -0500

Drbong: Call me crazy, but I thought taking a bus was better than having 50 extra cars on the road. In the end, public transportation is public transportation. No doubt this country needs high speed rail though.

drbong

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:24:25 -0500

I'd rather spend 8 hours on a train than 5 hours on the bus. I've driven to MTL as well as riding the train, and they don't compare. If I don't have half a day to blow, I'll speed up the Northway. I agree that it's a damn shame. What can you do, though? We love our cars in the US, or something.

Samantha T

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:44:41 -0500

K - I see your point, though I must admit to being irritated by Jen writing about this tragedy and not taking three seconds to check her frigging spelling. It's lazy and disrespectful.

Hong Kong Bus Rider

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:36:45 -0500

Hey, they got pressure. Wo yo yali, ni yo yali.

an Adirondacker

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:21:26 -0500

drbong - The Adirondacker is slower than the bus. But I attribute that to poor track maintenance, which causes the train to slow down to 30 mph at spots. Also, there is only one train that runs in the morning, and it is always sold out on weekends. All in all, though, I think the train is a much more pleasant experience than the bus, since the bus is almost always packed to capacity, and you can at least hit the bar on the train. It's a fucking shame they let a line that could generate so much money for Amtrak go to shit...

an Adirondacker

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:59:20 -0500

Kojak, I imagine the trip to Montreal is over 8 hours, mostly due to Customs. I get out at Plattsburgh, which is the last stop before Montreal. They were fortunate to wreck near Elizabethtown. If it would have happened a little south of there, like around North Hudson, I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't found until morning. There are also some nasty drops along the median side of the road - perhaps as far down as 15'. One of the big problems around that part of the Adirondacks is that there is absolutely no cell phone reception. They used to have a system of emergency phones that were powered by solar panels, but god knows if they still work...

drbong

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:52:21 -0500

... just think, if they took Amtrak's Adirondack, they'd be home by now. And of course our government thinks that bus transport is far superior to trains. Whatever.

jj

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:31:54 -0500

i thought the punchline was a nun falling down the stairs. it can be replaced by greyhound tumbling down a cliff.

Kojak

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:30:45 -0500

Ahh the Grammar Nazis are alive and kicking. How long is the NYC to Montreal bus trip anyway? The driver might have fallen asleep at the wheel. That’s how boring it is driving for hours on upstate NY roads.

K

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:23:45 -0500

fvckin a...here a terrible thing happened, and you're nitpicking at Jen's spelling. give it a rest, the girl can't type...who gives a flying fvck?!?!?!

Montrealer

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:19:20 -0500

Sad...I would often take the NYCMontreal Greyhound.

annual

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:09:44 -0500

"annural" inspection? Can I be your spell-check intern? I'll work for stock options.