A police van was parked at one end of the tunnel and armed policemen stood against a wall facing us. There was a chemical toilet, no drinking fountain, very few seats and no windows. Between the two bus lanes sat a small concrete island where passengers were disgorged. At both ends, electric doors opened and closed when a bus entered or exited. The bus station consisted of a parking garage the size of a small airplane hangar. My 20-minute stopover in Columbus was where a picture began to form of what Greyhound travel looks like today. The cashless society appears to be winning.įrom Detroit, I headed to St Louis, via Columbus, Ohio, where the Greyhound would hit Route 66. It became a leitmotif during my trip, and also spoke to something I saw repeatedly: the exclusion of those without smartphones or credit cards. This atomisation, and the reliance on tech for our most basic human needs, unnerved me. I would not meet another human during my stay. I handed over my debit card details to this San Francisco-based hospitality company and received a code with instructions to a room in a faceless building. My only option was to download an app by Sonder, which offered affordable Airbnb-style apartments with kitchens (thus saving me money on food). I was unable to find a clean, cheap hotel in the centre of town.
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