10 Unwritten Rules You Should Know Before Getting On A Public Bus Like Greyhound

Getting around the United States by plane is the primary method of long-haul travel today. However, decades before flying became affordable for the average American in the 1950s, buses largely dominated the industry, and passenger etiquette has evolved a lot over the years.

The modern bus service appeared just over 100 years ago when Carl Wickman noticed that miners were suffering a 2-mile walk to their jobs in Hibbing, Minnesota. Wickman developed an affordable ride service to escort them, and this burst of inspiration would flower into Greyhound Lines, a nationally recognized public bus company that's still one of the biggies a century later. Just as the enterprise of bus transit has progressed, so too have the unspoken rules for being a passenger.

We decided to dig deeper into these quiet expectations by scouring the official bus company websites and sourcing real opinions from users on Reddit and other forums to figure out which on-bus behaviors rub them the wrong way. If you're taking a trip on a public bus like Greyhound any time in the near future, you're going to want to adhere to these essential unwritten rules.

Proper bus etiquette begins before you board by being fully prepared for the journey — starting with the time you arrive at the bus station. While this isn't as big of a deal as deciding how early to arrive at the airport, you still need a little cushion time. Trailways, one of the biggest bus companies running out of New York City, suggests that passengers are ready at the station a solid 10 minutes before their departure time. Another popular bus company, Peter Pan, says that it's better to be on the safe side and get there 15 minutes prior to departure. 

If you prefer the trusted advice of a boots-on-the-ground passenger, a user in the r/Travel subreddit recommended, "Getting to the station 15-20 minutes early is fine, as long as you have your ticket in advance." The other thing to keep in mind is that you need to be prepared for the actual boarding process. Don't get so distracted by getting snacks, scrolling away on your phone, or anything else that you're bamboozled when it's time to get on the bus. Nobody wants to be dealing with that one person pushing past crowds to desperately make their bus at the last second or fumbling around to find their ticket — potentially holding off departure. 

Every bus traveler hopes that they'll be afforded the luxury of having the seat next to them free, but you can't assume this will be the case. Even if there isn't anyone beside you when the bus departs from your station, there will likely be other stops along the way and people need to board quickly to keep everything moving on schedule. After all, there are billions of bus trips in the United States every year.

One user on Quora broke down their reasoning by explaining, "If you are doing it and the seat is not needed then no it is not impolite to do so. However if you are doing this and the seat is needed then yes it is very rude." Sometimes it can be okay to spread out a bit. If you're on a really long bus ride and you know there will be hours between stops, then it's a safe bet that stretching out into the empty seat won't be a bother. On a shorter journey with lots of stops, you really need to read the room about it before taking up a bunch of space and laying a bag on the seat next to you. 

While passengers would be wise to keep every one of these unwritten rules in mind during their bus journey, this one might be the most crucial of them all: Never ever take the priority seats that are designated for individuals with specific conditions. One of the big facets of the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) was setting up priority seating located at the front of most public buses — so you never want to be occupying these spaces that people really need to make their travel possible. Whether someone is elderly, pregnant, or has a disability (even if you can't see it directly), they are entitled to these seats on the bus. 

Furthermore, it's probably an ethical idea to offer your seat to individuals with one of these conditions if you're ever on a super crowded public bus with a shorter route where seats aren't necessarily assigned. You don't have to always strictly abide by this rule, but as one Redditor put it in r/Translink: "Elderly person, pregnant person, visibly disabled person (like crutches or cane or etc), minor child (like under 10yrs old) = automatically I offer them my non priority seat." Who couldn't use a bit of good karma on their track record anyway?

Most folks are aware by now that it is completely forbidden to smoke or vape while on a plane, but this cardinal rule extends to bus travel as well. Greyhound Lines explicitly states on their website that they do not tolerate smoking on their vehicles because it violates federal law. They also note that their routes include regular stops, so there will be plenty of time to use nicotine products then. 

Besides the fact that it's straight up illegal to use nicotine products on public transportation, vaping in a contained space with strangers where nobody can escape like a public bus is just plain inconsiderate. After all, a 2013 study from the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco found that e-cigarettes that produce vapor can cause nicotine exposure to others. With that in mind, it makes sense why it might be bothersome to other passengers to endure vapor or smoke during their bus ride. 

People take their personal boundaries very seriously when traveling on public transportation in American cities, and that includes one's auditory space. Creating noise pollution with your phone on a public bus potentially for hours is a sure-fire way to make some enemies. 

There are very strong opinions on this behavior, with one person on Reddit writing in r/Music, "ive seen more and more ppl just unaware that you shouldn't be doing stuff like that. i was on a bus behind a person who was watching tiktoks without earbuds in, and when my brother asked if they could turn the sound off, they seemed surprised it was an issue, but did it. i wonder if this less of a social faux pas in some places?" Another user on the same r/Music post went so far as to brand travelers who engage in this behavior as "entitled" and "vindictive". 

Still, there is a little bit of grey area within this rule. If you happen to get a very pressing phone call along the journey, you aren't going to get kicked off onto the barren highway for taking it. Just keep it quiet, never turn the phone on speaker, and try to wrap the conversation up as fast as possible. Whenever you're listening to music, watching videos, or enjoying any other form of media, use headphones for everyone's sake — even if it's just for a few minutes.

Public bus rides can stretch on for hours across states, so it's understandable that you may want to munch on something along the way. While that is completely acceptable, you should still give a little thought to the types of snacks you take on board. After all, you'll be sitting in very close proximity to dozens of other people who will be forced to smell or hear the sounds of anything you chew. 

There are a few key dishes that public transportation riders have specifically called out as the worst. For example, one person complained about travelers indulging in crispy chips on the bus in r/FragReddit clarifying, "I find the constant rustling when the person reaches into the bag much worse than the crunching while eating." Another individual shared in r/AskReddit that their nightmare food to see a neighbor eating on the bus is eggs because the scent makes them feel ill. When you're unsure whether your snack is appropriate for the bus, a good rule of thumb is to consider if you would be perturbed by sitting next to a stranger eating the item. 

Sharing the public bus with others isn't always easy. Of course, everyone wants to be as comfortable as possible, but you can't get comfortable at others' expense. One highly debated example of this is removing your shoes on a public bus. Travelers have long argued about whether flight attendants hate passengers shedding their shoes on a flight, but the general conclusion for public buses is that footwear must stay on at all times. 

As one person blatantly put it on Quora, "A bus floor is a filthy environment and your feet probably stink to other people. Keep your damn shoes on." While it might not feel as luxurious as going barefoot, this will spare you from being the most despised person on the bus. In addition to the shoes, it's wise to consider people's personal space in general. 

Most frequent travelers pull out their best-kept sleep hacks for long flights, but it can be a slightly more complex undertaking when traveling by public bus. There are bumpy roads, pit stops, less room, and often at least a few passengers who've decided to stay awake. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that interstate bus trips in the United States can be much longer than even the longest flights in the world. 

The longest direct plane route runs from New York City to Singapore and takes almost 19 hours. On the other hand, one of the lengthiest trips on a Greyhound bus brings you all the way from Miami to Seattle, which will have you stuck on the road for around three full days. That's like taking a long-haul flight four times over.

On a journey like this — or any night bus — you need to be very considerate of passengers trying to catch some sleep. Turn your screens to their lowest brightness possible and keep all noise and movement to an absolute minimum. This is a two-way street in case you're also praying for a bit of shut-eye while you're strapped in for one of these nighttime bus rides. Greyhound suggests bringing cozy, packable blankets, an eye-mask, and ear plugs to increase your chances of drifting off into dreamland on the bus.

During a never-ending bus journey, it's easy to drift off into day-dreaming or gazing into the void of your phone. Don't let this totally space you out to the point where you completely forget about your bus stop, though. Some of the longer bus routes can include dozens of stops along the way, like the Greyhound bus from Miami to Seattle that includes drop-off points in Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and many more. 

That's why you need to do your very best to stay alert and make sure you exit the bus efficiently. You don't want to be surprised at the last minute. In the best case scenario, this leads to you scrambling for your belongings in a hurry and getting all stressed out in the process. The worst case would be that you forget things while rushing, cause the bus to be delayed from its strict schedule, or even miss your stop altogether. All of these possibilities can be avoided with a little attentiveness.

Just like how there are rude behaviors that drive flight attendants insane, public bus drivers can experience a wide range of conduct from their passengers on the job. There are over 179,000 bus drivers in the United States. If you're going to make a lasting impression on them, make sure that it's a nice one. 

Being cooped up on a public bus for hours on end can be stressful, but it's important to never take those sentiments out on the bus personnel and treat them with respect. They're the ones who are safely transporting you to your destination in the end. One person said how disturbed they are by less than friendly passengers, writing in r/OCTranspo "I see a concerning amount of people being rude to bus drivers and doing things like raising their voices at bus drivers, loudly complaining when the bus stops and other things like that." 

There have been many cases where passengers on U.S. buses have broken the vehicle's windows, hit bus drivers, and engaged in even more violent attacks. With an increase in these troubling incidents, more than 30 states have passed laws organizing these crimes into a specific category of misdemeanor that can result in more severe charges and being banned from public buses altogether for an extended period of time. Keeping that in mind, it's always best to be courteous and kind to bus personnel.