In 1914, Eric Wickman, a 27-year-old Swedish immigrant, was laid off from his job as a drill operator at a mine in Alice, Minnesota.

"Arvid" Heed to transport iron ore miners two miles from Hibbing to Alice for 15 cents per ride.

According to company lore, that name came from a driver, Ed Stone, who was reminded of a greyhound when he saw a passing bus in a reflection.

[15] Between 1937 and 1945, Greyhound built many new stations and acquired new buses in the period in the late Art Deco style known as Streamline Moderne.

[13] This, combined with the increasing affordability of air travel, led to a decline in business for Greyhound and other intercity bus carriers.

[30] In 1960, in the case of Boynton v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court found that an African American had been wrongfully convicted for trespassing in a "whites only" terminal area.

[32] Several miles outside of Anniston, Alabama, the mob forced the Greyhound bus to stop, broke its windows, and firebombed it.

Sources disagree, but either an exploding fuel tank[33] or an undercover state investigator brandishing a revolver[34] caused the mob to retreat.

When the riders escaped the bus, the mob beat them, while warning shots fired into the air by highway patrolmen prevented them from being lynched.

[48] In early 1987, the bus line was acquired by an investor group led by Fred Currey, a former executive of rival Continental Trailways, who became CEO of Greyhound and relocated its headquarters to Dallas, Texas.

Without the financial strength provided in the past by a parent company, the strike's lower revenues and higher costs for security and labor-law penalties caused Greyhound to file for bankruptcy in June 1990.

[63][64][65] In August 1991, Greyhound emerged from bankruptcy by which time it had shrunk its overall workforce to 7,900 employees from 12,000 pre-bankruptcy, and trimmed its fleet to 2,750 buses and 3,600 drivers.

[71] In 1995, the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division brought suit to stop this practice, alleging that it was an illegal restraint of trade, bad for consumers, and reduced competition.

[73] In September 1998, Greyhound promised to make accommodations for disabled passengers, including equipping most buses with wheelchair lifts.

[77] Following the acquisitions, most of the remaining members of the Trailways System began interlining cooperatively with Greyhound, discontinued their scheduled route services, diversified into charters and tours, or went out of business altogether.

[82] In June 2001, after incurring heavy losses through its investments in Greyhound Lines and other parts of its diversified business, Laidlaw filed for bankruptcy protection in both the U.S. and Canada.

[88] More than 250 buses, operated by competitors such as Fung Wah Bus Transportation and Lucky Star Bus were competing fiercely from curbsides in the Chinatowns of New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.[88] When operating on inter-city routes, the Chinatown buses offered prices about 50% less than Greyhound's.

[92] In some rural areas, particularly in the Plains states, parts of the upper Midwest (such as Wisconsin), and the Pacific Northwest, local operators took over the old stops, often with government subsidies.

[93][94][95][96] On February 7, 2007, British transport group FirstGroup announced the acquisition of Laidlaw International for $3.6 billion, which closed on October 1, 2007.

Greyhound also started a new advertising campaign with Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners aimed at attracting 18- to 24-year-olds and Hispanics.

In the Northeastern U.S., BoltBus was originally operated in partnership with Peter Pan Bus Lines, but this arrangement ended on September 27, 2017, with Greyhound continuing the brand alone.

[109] In 2010, in response to competition from Megabus and Chinatown bus lines, the company launched "Greyhound Express", featuring newer buses and fewer stops.

Buses were refurbished to add wireless Internet access, power outlets, and leather seating with increased legroom.

[116] Shortly after the sale to FirstGroup closed, Greyhound began a program in select markets, where riders could reserve a seat for an additional $5.

[125] On the Atlantic City routes, casinos offer special bonuses (gambling credit, room/dining discounts) to Lucky Streak passengers.

[125] Lucky Streak routes serve Atlantic City (to/from Baltimore, Brooklyn, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.), Connecticut (Mohegan Sun & Foxwoods Casino) (to/from Boston, Bridgeport, New Haven, New York City, Providence, and Stamford), and Las Vegas (to/from Anaheim, Barstow, Claremont, Compton, El Monte, Hollywood, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Ana, and Victorville).

Greyhound Lines continues to operate four cross-border routes that either start or finish in the U.S. from Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver:[133][134] the company also placed 38 buses used by its Canada division up for auction.

[142] In September 2021, the company agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit over its practice of allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to board its buses in Washington State to conduct warrantless immigration sweeps.

[146] In 2022, FirstGroup sold almost all its remaining Greyhound properties to Twenty Lake Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Alden Global Capital, for approximately $140 million.

[147][148] Twenty Lake began closing the properties in 2023, leaving Greyhound passengers without sheltered waiting spaces or amenities at stations.