Rear Emblem on the 1937 Greyhound Super Coach

While bicycling in Forest Park last Saturday, we were passing the zoo’s south parking lot when I noticed that a new attraction was on display there in the lot. The Greyhound bus line is celebrating its hundredth anniversary this year and has a traveling exhibit that is now touring the country. Founded in 1914 Greyhound has had plenty of older bus designs, but of the half-dozen buses on display there, the 1937 Greyhound Super Coach was the oldest. From this bus to the present five period representative buses were on display, including their newest bus design. The sixth bus was a traveling museum.

Go Greyhound and Leave the Driving to Us

While Greyhound is a venerable US brand, its hundred year history is not without a few bumps in the road. Since the rise of the jet airline industry, bus travel has been in decline. Greyhound’s business history has also been checkered with strikes, an anti-trust suit and bankruptcy. All these problems were reflected not only in the reduction of its business base, but also in the quality of its service. Thin margins and antiquated systems made Greyhound notorious for overbooking. In 2007 the company was acquired by a Scottish investment group that hopes to turn the company around. This PR tour that capitalizes on the company’s venerable history seems like a smart move.

The “New Greyhound” Logo