Took the bus out from Sioux Falls to Willmar, MN. Was able to get a decent deal ($23ish for a one way ticket) thanks to a promotion involving their grand opening.
I took the bus on the day before Thanksgiving, a notoriously busy time for any transportation company. I arrived right about 10 AM for a 10:30 AM bus. Pulling up, I hoped that we would get one of the newer buses (there was a regular bus, a newer bus, and a "rocket rider" bus.) Went inside, and the station was packed. I did notice plenty of seating (at least, I assume it would be enough on a normal day, though it was full now.) There were also various vending machines and free wi-fi to use, along with a TV on the wall that was on but not too loud.
I was on a mission, though: get checked in and onto my bus. I went and waited in line at the counter, checked in, got a tag for my luggage, and caught the beginning of boarding onto the regular bus. (Oh well, guess I can't get everything perfect!)
I set the luggage outside the bus and boarded, and was able to find a open pair of seats. The bus itself was a standard charter bus, though quite clean. Passenger-wise, most were college students or eldery passengers, along with a few middle-aged passengers. My girlfriend and I sat down in the open pair of seats, waited for the bus to load (about 30 people total), and left promptly at 10:30 AM. There was a stop every half-hour or so, and the route generally followed MN-23 from Pipestone, after a small detour from I-90 to US-59 to make a stop in Luverne.
The bus was running about on time until Marshall, when we lost about 10 minutes due to more-than-average boarding and having to board a person in a wheelchair. We lost another 10 minutes or so at the Clara City rest stop (which is at a small gas station.) Talking with the bus driver, the bus had many more passengers than normal. Normally, there's only five or six people on the bus. I assume that, when that's the case, the bus runs on-time, since all of the delays were related to the plethora of passengers on the bus.
We arrived in Willmar around 2:30 PM, or about 20 minutes late. The bus stops on the side of an access road, in front of the Lakeview Inn. There's a small convenience store there if we needed to wait for a ride, but our ride had arrived just as the bus pulled up. Overall, it was a smooth, easy ride, and I'm definitely a fan. (Though their "regular" pricing was a bit much for my blood. I was glad to get the deal, which made the price much more reasonable.) read more