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buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:04 pm
by Kayla
Has anyone done this before? Can this be done? I have done it on airplanes with no issue but I don't want to assume the same for the bus. It's Saturday so I can't call customer service until Monday, but wanted to buy the ticket(s) this weekend. Any help is greatly appreciated!

(Oh, I also did a search on here and couldn't find anything, but if there is a thread dealing with this topic, I would like the link to it.)

Re: buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 12:21 am
by Dan Schultz
Kayla... I ship tubas via Greyhound all the time. If I was riding a bus, I wouldn't have any qualms about just letting my horn 'ride underneath'.

Re: buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 12:56 am
by PMeuph
TubaTinker wrote:Kayla... I ship tubas via Greyhound all the time. If I was riding a bus, I wouldn't have any qualms about just letting my horn 'ride underneath'.
Unless it were in a gigbag....

Re: buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 12:46 am
by Kayla
I wasn't completely sure where to post the thread, but it makes sense to put it on a heavily trafficked board compared to this one.

I think I'm just going to call tomorrow and see where that takes me. I wanted to avoid underneath the bus but based on the overall success I've read with Greyhound (and what you guys say), it should be okay.

Thanks anyway.

(considered the Tilt-A-Whirl, but no stops to where I'm going) :(

Re: buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 1:11 pm
by Dan Schultz
Kayla wrote:.... I think I'm just going to call tomorrow and see where that takes me. I wanted to avoid underneath the bus but based on the overall success I've read with Greyhound (and what you guys say), it should be okay....
You might want to ask your ticket agent. If the bus is 'straight thru', you'll be fine. If there are bus changes, you will need to make sure the tuba also goes on your bus.

Re: buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 1:33 pm
by RyanSchultz
Make sure the horn is insured and that damage caused by shipping and theft are covered.

Re: buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:55 pm
by Ben
I have traveled with my ex-186 in a gigbag - I purchased an additional ticket for the horn. As the bus was near full, and many people were in line, they were some upset people who were waiting standby who were denied access to the bus, but the conductor allowed both me and my tuba to be seated. Here is the problem, as the bus was full, no one would move so I could sit next to my horn, so someone other than me got to have some extra room on my dime. No harm came to my horn, and I am happy about that.

Re: buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:19 am
by Kayla
Ben wrote:I have traveled with my ex-186 in a gigbag - I purchased an additional ticket for the horn. As the bus was near full, and many people were in line, they were some upset people who were waiting standby who were denied access to the bus, but the conductor allowed both me and my tuba to be seated. Here is the problem, as the bus was full, no one would move so I could sit next to my horn, so someone other than me got to have some extra room on my dime. No harm came to my horn, and I am happy about that.
I am currently on my last bus of the trip. I ended up buying a second ticket for my tuba, which actually was cheaper to do than to check it for under the bus (passenger discount). The three stations I was in - Kalamazoo MI, Indianapolis IN, and Columbus OH, were all relatively pleasant to wait in, and the staff people were nice and curious about the tuba. As I loaded the buses, all of the bus drivers gave me no hassle with my tuba once I explained that I had a second ticket. The trip from Indianapolis to Columbus was rather full, and like Ben's experience I ended up having to set my tuba in a different seat that wasn't next to me. I may have gotten lucky with staff and bus drivers, but my experience was pretty good, and I met some really intriguing people along the way.

Also - a smile, manners, and a positive attitude will take you a long way while traveling.

Re: buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 9:37 am
by Dan Schultz
Kayla wrote:... Also - a smile, manners, and a positive attitude will take you a long way while traveling.
+1

Re: buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:08 am
by bort
Kayla wrote:I may have gotten lucky with staff and bus drivers, but my experience was pretty good, and I met some really intriguing people along the way.
You're pretty much guaranteed to meet intriguing folks when ridin' the dog. :)

Re: buying a ticket for tuba on Greyhound?

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:40 am
by Ben
happy you had a good trip!