Greyhound Bus South Africa Review and Information

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Greyhound Bus South Africa.

As I live in Argentina, a country with very good public transportation, especially when it comes to long distance transport, I had my doubts travelling with a long distance bus in South Africa. The reason being that South Africa is not as developed when it comes to public transportation. Nevertheless I had to travel to Knysna and thought it would be a good idea to book a seat on the Greyhound bus, to see how it compares to the long distance buses that we have in Argentina. I didn’t have a problem to make the 10 hour bus journey to Beaufort West as I find bus travel a truly wonderful way to travel.

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The Dreamliner coach that I travelled with.

Booking a ticket on the Greyhound bus.

I prepared for my trip the same way I would normally make a purchase by reading reviews about the company before I make the booking. Bookings can be made directly from the Greyhound website. It is not a bad idea to check for specials or if you qualify for a special discount before making a booking. Greyhound buses travel to more than a 100 different cities in South Africa as well as Zimbabwe and Lesotho. Foreigners do not qualify for a discount unless you are a pensioner or have a child travelling with you. Tickets can also be bought at any Computicket office, Travel Agent, Shoprite or by contacting the Reservation Office. The booking procedure is very easy and an email confirmation is sent with your booking number.

Different classes to choose from.

There are two classes to choose from: Business Class and Luxury Class. There was not a big difference in price so I decided to book a ticket in the Business Class. Business class seats are allocated at the bottom of the bus and the Luxury class seats at the top.

Payment methods to choose from are: Cash, Credit Card, Edcon, Debit Cards or Loyalty Cards. PayPal is not accepted. Please note that due to an increase in credit card fraud, foreign credit cards are not accepted when making a booking on the Greyhound website. However, once in South Africa it is easy to locate a Computicket office to make a booking in person.

My personal experience with Greyhound Bus South Africa.

My bus was scheduled to depart at 19h15 but arrived just before 20h00 at the designated stop in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng. Buses are not marked with the destination and it was a little confusing when the first Greyhound bus pulled in and I had to figure out if it was my bus or not. I was greeted by a friendly attendant who showed me to my seat in the Business class. The bus was luxury and my reclining seat comfortable.

The bus that I travelled with offered movies but no earphones were available. This was not a problem as I had my own set. Complimentary tea and coffee facilities were available on my coach. Refreshments can be purchased from the cabin crew at reasonable prices. In addition the bus makes several meal stops which are incorporated in the route. This comes in handy as you have an opportunity to purchase food or snacks, use the restrooms or to stretch your legs. Refreshments at the One-stops are very expensive. I bought some snack food before I boarded as I was well aware that food would not be served on the bus.

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Inside the Greyhound Bus.

Meal stops do not last for more than 20 minutes and the bus maintains its published schedules.

No blankets were provided so make sure you have something warm as it can get cold on the bus. My trip ran smoothly all the way to Beaufort West and it was quite pleasant.

I would most certainly travel with Greyhound again when in South Africa.

Loyalty Club for frequent travellers and Travel Pass.

If you are a frequent traveller then it is an option to join the Greyhound Loyalty Club where you can accumulate points. Accumulated points can purchase free tickets. If you are a tourist and are planning to visit a lot of places in South Africa, then I recommend getting a Travel Pass. A travel pass can save you a lot of money in the long run and provide flexibility.

Greyhound bus facilities.

  •  Air conditioning.
  •  Individual reading lights.
  •  Reclining seats.
  •  On-board toilets.
  •  Audio and visual entertainment.
  •  Hostesses (on some routes).
  •  Experienced, trained drivers.

I have been fortunate to have done quite a bit of travelling. By heart I am an adventurer and I love exploring new places, cultures and food. Travelling can become stressful and expensive. Over the years I have learnt to travel as cost effective as possible, simply by travelling more clever. Nelmitravel.com is a Adventure and Budget Travel site where I review Airlines, Accommodation, Transport, Restaurants and give helpful travel information.

19 Comments

  1. I did travel with greyhound it was the best and I’m traveling again for funeral in Cape Town.

    Thank very much and yha keep on proving
    God bless you

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  3. Have always traveled with Greyhound from Johannesburg to Durban, Umtata to Cape Town.
    But buses from Umtata to Johannesburg are the worse ones. First time toilet was out of order this time air conditioning wasn’t working this made my journey unpleased we told the drivers about it would work for while and then stop and one drive told us it’s because of the engine at the back of the bus. Televisions were not working and no announcements were made when we stopped didn’t know back onboard time. AC really made my journey and daughter’s horrible. I doubt I’d use the company again.

    1. Hi Noba, I am so sorry to hear that. Did you file a formal complaint at Greyhound? Personally I think you got a raw deal with the bus. Our bus was in perfect working order and I had a very nice trip down to Cape Town.

  4. wish to know if it is safe to travel in the night on greyhond as there may or may not be pother passsengers on board
    on westerncape route garden route
    let me know

    1. I had a few overnight experiences in buses, but never had a problem. If you really wanna be sure that nothing happens, a good tip might be to have a few chats with the drivers and the guards – on overnight buses they always place two drivers and one or two helpees/guards. Befriend them, hand them a cookie and they’ll be on your side. But I wouldn’t worry about it anyway.

  5. i had a querry which i posted i wish to have reply from other passengers who already travelled before on garden route by greyhound

  6. My mom booked the greyhound earlier today from kimberley to paarl. Departure time is 19h55. It is 21h00 now and we are still waiting for the bus. No communication to update clients on why there is a delay…Poor..very poor service

    1. Hi Androlene, I am sorry to hear about the late bus. It is quite common when travelling that buses are delayed for some reason. Sometimes it is not possible to communicate this with passengers. My husband recently missed a bus back home when he was in Buenos Aires. The company went on strike and never informed the passengers. Luckily they managed to put him on a different bus but he had to take a 3 hour detour. Travelling is hardly ever smooth sailing.

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