One Coach 3,000 Miles
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Passenger Amenities and Safety Considered of Prime Importance by Greyhound—The World's Largest Operator of Luxury Coaches
by a Special Correspondent
HOLDING the distinction of being the largest and longest luxury coach system in the world, the Greyhound Bus Lines Incorporated, and the Greyhound Bus Lines (Canada) Incorporated, cover the North American continent like a huge spider's web. It is possible to travel in the same coach from Halifax to Vancouver B.C., or from New York City to San Francisco, both routes covering a distance of well over 3,000 miles.
On the trans-continental runs when a booking is made, the passenger can make two choices, either using the same coach and sleeping during the night run, or sleeping at hotels and taking the following coach the neXt morning. The seat or seats are reserved in advance for whatever method of travel is decided upon. All seats are of the fully reclining type.
For meals the coach stops at selected rest stops, where hot or cold meals are served, these stops usually lasting from 30 to 45 minutes. All the coaches are fitted with adequate toilet room facilities.
Coaches making these long-distance trips travel at times well over 80 m.p.h. and must be kept in excellent operating condition. Maintenance is, therefore, the most important part of their operations and a series of huge maintenance depots have been constructed in the largest civic centres across the continent.
Each maintenance centre is equipped with the most modern servicing equipment, including body repairs and paintshop. If a driver thinks that his vehicle is not operating perfectly, he will stop en route and telephone ahead advising a depot of his trouble. When he arrives mechanics immediately make a check on his vehicle and if the fault is not rectified at the departure time, a duplicate coach is put on in its place, the passengers' baggage being transferred. This service is so efficient that passengers hardly notice they have boarded a different coach.
Greyhounds in Canada alone cover over 10m. miles annually. All coaches are powered by diesel engines, and groups of five mechanics at a time are sent to the Detroit Diesel School of General Motors, for a four-week training course each year, to keep up with the most advanced engine models or changes. All Greyhound coaches are airconditioned and smoking is permitted.
A driver's working hours are based on an eight-hour shift; he can be asked to do a maximum of 12 hours in case of emergency, but never more. After a year of service he receives a seven-day paid holiday, with one day added each year up to 15 days.
When a Greyhound driver is away from home, the company puts him in a good hotel room when overnight stops are required, thus ensuring that he is in good company and gets the required rest.
The maintenance headquarters in Montreal and Philadelphia both have vehicle record boards. These are like huge blackboards with itemized headings and each coach has a numbered wooden block. As each coach reaches a divisional point, its arrival and departure time and any servicing done is sent to Montreal and Philadelphia via teletype—this system allows bath headquarters to know exactly where each coach is, together with any vital information concerning it.
Every 10,000 miles, inspectors check the coach and it is immediately serviced. If, for instance, a coach from Montreal reaches its 10,000-mile limit upon arrival at Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina or Vancouver, teletype has already notified this depot and service cards are made out and attached to the coach when it arrives. A duplicate coach is then put on in its place to continue to the destination.
If, 'however, the coach has reached its destination, it is serviced and, if necessary, the power unit and so on is replaced. The bus is then ready for its return trip, according to schedule. The assemblies removed are reconditioned and placed in stock for further use. All engines are Completely dismantled and rebuilt at the end of each 60,000 miles of service.
At maintenance centres all fuel oil and lubricating oil storage tanks are underground and located some distance from the service area, a remote-controlled pump delivering the type of oil required by the push of a button.
The battery rooms are air-conditioned and ventilated, and fitters completely rebuild the batteries for further use. Every type of electrical instrument and equipment for repairing and rebuilding the coaches' electrical equipment and accessories is also installed. There are also special heater servicing shops, for coach heating in Canada's severe winters requires careful attention. Heaters have extra large motors for fan operation, to ensure comfortable heating of coach interiors, regardless of outside temperatures.
All depots carry out minor tyre repairs, but when a tyre has covered 30,000 miles it is sent back for a factory retread. If after rigid inspection it shows itself to be in good condition after another 30,000 miles, it may go back for a second retread. However, owing to the high speeds of these coaches and the long distances they travel, this second rebuilding very seldom occurs, the company claiming that it is more economical to sell used-tyres to secondhand tyre dealers.
The paint shops and maintenance centres each have a capacity of five coaches daily. The paint spraying -booths have both suction and blower ventilation systems, with fresh air being blown in and stale or paint laden air being sucked out. The air enters the booth just above the floor line, and exhausts out at roof level.
The body-building shops are fully equipped and could entirely rebuild a body if required. Each shop has an upholstering room for seat leather or fabric repairs.
The large maintenance centres have automatic coach washing machines, while at smaller garages across the country they use the swivel-pipe and drop-hose systems with fountain brushes.
With an organization of this kind, making a 3,000-mile cross-continental run is an accepted service by the travelling public. The racing greyhound on the sides of each coach is a familiar trade mark known by almost every citizen in both countries.