American Icon - The Greyhound Bus (Click on image to enlarge)
One of America's great icons, the 'Greyhound' bus is about to be seen in Britain. As from September a two-hour service will run from London to Portsmouth and Southampton.
In the 1930s Greyhound made it's first stop in Hollywood as the main setting for romance between Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in the film 'It Happened One Night'. Since then the bus has featured in more famous films including 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' in 1961, and 'Midnight Cowboy' in 1969. The bus has also been featured in several songs.
The company was founded in 1914 by two immigrant miners, to carry people to town, two miles away. The business began in Hibbing, Minesota. Those first few miles kept multiplying as Greyhound opened up travel to people from small towns. They'd even stop at the side of the road.
Today, Greyhound buses transport about 22 million passengers each year. Will the greyhound recreate the great American dream here in Britain? Maybe, however, London to Portsmouth is hardly Route 66.
