My horrible experience with the new Greyhound bus.

Booking in at Cape Town, we were informed by the reception which just plain showed borderline disdain, that a shuttle will transfer us to the Greyhound in Bellville There was no mention of this on the website or when buying the bus ticket online. With no clearly marked signs, we had to search for gate 4 at the Cape Town Long Distance Bus Terminal. I fortunately had family members that came to wish me well, and turned out to be a great help in assisting finding this mysterious gate and carrying luggage. Booking in luggage at gate 4 was chaotic, with staff of Eldo Coaches that was indifferent. We eventually boarded and traveled on a bus that had some rattling, but the trip to Bellville was generally acceptable. Getting luggage off the shuttle was another lesson in how chaos makes for a nerve wrecking experience. Everyone was grabbing luggage out of the bus's storage compartment, ignoring a non-challant member assigned for that task. Then you had to join a long queue in front of the Eldo Coaches offices in Bellville, waiting for the Greyhound bus. Once again no information was provided. Speaking to fellow travelers, it turned out that passengers wait in the same line for Eldo Coaches, as well as for Greyhound busses, which have various cities in the country as their destinations. True to form, absolutely chaotic. The one rest room for both males and females was filthy, the floor was wet, and the cistern mechanism did not work. One female turned around after looking at the state of the toilet. The Greyhound coach arrived about 45 minutes later, and as is the norm now, there was disorder, a complete lack of information and of cause a stampede. I decided to approach the staff member that control boarding of the bus to get useful information. My impression of that discussion is the person is poorly trained, and/or lacks people skills. Fortunately by then I could ask a fellow traveler to keep an eye on my luggage while speaking to this staff member. To get luggage into the buss's storage trailer was like joining a rugby scrum, after which you had to join the queue to board. For premium class, one would have thought that seats would be assigned, but as it turned out it was a first come first serve affair. I was lucky to get a window seat. The bus was more luxurious compared to the Intercape Sleepliner. Seats had better width, each had separate armrests, was softer, with a flawless reclining mechanism. Foot space and hand luggage storage space was generous. Just a few mildly irritating remarks: the food table did not fit properly (I decided not to set it up), and we were informed that the much publicized wifi did not work. There was no welcoming of passengers, and of course, no information on anything. Arriving at Park Station in Johannesburg, those traveling to Pretoria were made to waIt in the bus for a while. After about 20 minutes, we were asked to transfer to another bus, which will shuttle us to Pretoria. Of course, chaos reined at securing luggage in the storage compartment of the shuttle. By now I know that it is best to speak to a staff member to get reliable information. Some passengers wanted to know whether the shuttle will make a stop at Midland. The shuttle filled up quickly, and it became apparent that there was not enough space for everyone. After a while, some staff member said something incoherent, which was confusing. Some passengers then left the shuttle, and I decided to find reliable information to decide on what I have to do. Once again we were transferred, which meant getting your luggage yourself, and making sure it is properly secured in the new shuttle. We eventually boarded and settled in a urine smelling bus, and had to travel all the way to Pretoria. If you want a pleasant long distance traveling experience, avoid the new Greyhound like the plague. In one trip, the new owners destroyed the reputation that use to be a gold standard. Please stay away until you hear from passengers that had a luxurious experience. It is not worth the stress, and there are better long distance traveling companies out there. I traveled to Cape Town with a different company and decided to see what the new Greyhound was like. What do you think, should I again travel with them on the near future? I am not the only one that agrees with you.