Melançon Enterprises • a multidivision multinational since 1980

[Written in line, and on the bus]

Due to the kindness and grace of one driver, I have to take back, or put on hold, almost all the bad things I say about Greyhound here. [Below.] I prevailed on him -- after the three girls had begged at the rest stop and surely softened him up -- to stop in Framingham. Since the girls couldn't be sure their ride would find them at the Natick rest area (they couldn't get through by phone), we'll all be dropped off at the official Framingham stop!

[Update: The driver was funny, his first response was an immediate flat out firm no. Then he called me back up, presumably after checking what he could do with a dispatcher, and was willing to try a rest area. I think he felt more comfortable with dropping people off at an official stop anyway. At the Framingham Logan Express he wouldn't take my ten dollar tip (I know the Pullman porters and other labor groups opposed tips, but I always hoped I'd get one when selling shoes), and just said if Greyhound messed us up it was for them to set it right. I wish his ethos really was company policy. And I wish I'd at least gotten his name or ID to thank in a letter to the company. Anyhow, the current savior of my day and Greyhound's reputation is the driver, a black man, of the 5/19 11 a.m. bus to Boston from New York.]

[The rant still really applies against the company though.]

Selling tickets beyond capacity-- requiring everyone to buy tickets in advance -- and then not adding another bus to the schedule, when they obviously know they don't have space? Losers.

The complete lack of respect is shocking. Door closed, dozens of people standing in line, no explanation, no goddamn bag of peanuts, nothing.

You're supposed to follow all of their rules but they have no accountability whatsoever.

There's a small sign out of sight of the tail of the line that says "Framingham & Newton *ticket holders* *only*

That didn't do the three girls several places in front of me in line any good, and it sure doesn't do someone with a

Greyhound says Peter Pan is responsible, but Peter Pan says if you want a refund you have to go through Greyhound.

Seriously, not Greyhound ever again. I'm going to plan something in Boston on either end of my trips from now on, go through Chinatown.

There's more than a busload lined up for the 11 a.m. bus (that doesn't stop in Framingham), so more Greyhound passengers playing by the rules are going to be screwed.

Update 1:30 p.m. Just saw a Greyhound bus broken down, marked out with orange cones and all, on the opposite side of the highway.