PreparednessMan

Has anyone successfully arrived at NYC Port Auth. Bus Term. via Greyhound with their bike in a box as stowed luggage, and then assembled their bike in the terminal? How did it go? Looking at trying this in May 2018.

bicyclridr4life

Greyhound lets you box a bike as luggage now?
Last time I checked with them (a couple years ago) the bike box was considered freight, and would not arrive at you destination at the same time you did, but as much as two or three days later.

indyfabz

According to its web site, that sound right. Anything with total dimensions (L+W+H) of more than 62" is considered freight and must be shipped as such:


https://www.greyhound.com/en/help-an...l-info/baggage

FBinNY 

With some planning, a bike and most of the rest of your stuff can be packed in 2 boxes that are within the limits. So, along with your carry on allowance, it's very possible, but will cost $15.00

PreparednessMan

Dude, thx for the response, and I checked with the local drivers at my local Greyhound terminal, if its in a bike box, you're good. Of course, there's a fee, like $35.00 extra. And my run will be no transfers, so the bus I stow the bike in is the bus I arrive in. The real question is, does anyone know if there's such a thing as a place to rip the box apart & assemble the bike there? That will fly in a lot of places, but will it fly in the New York Port Authority bus Terminal? Will a transit cop or a Port Authority cop taser me, beat me down & throw me in jail for violating some obscure but necessary anti terrorism law? The place in question has been lternately described as "the busiest bus station in the world" and "...if Hell had a Hell..."

alan s 

May I suggest you call the Port Authority and inquire?

FBinNY 

There's no place where you'd "officially" be allowed to unpack and assemble your bike, but cops in NYC are very aware of practicalities. If they object, they will not arrest or even threaten arrest, but will tell you that you can't work on your bike there, and insist you take it outside.

Then it's a question of how smoothly you can explain the situation and charm your way into some grace for a few minutes while you quickly do the least necessary before taking it outside to finish the job.

IMO, the best place to try to do this would be at the Greyhound freight counter down on the lower level, where if chased off, you can finish just outside the door. The real problem may be how to properly dispose of the carton when finished, and you might ask Greyhound if you can break it down and dispose of it with them.

So, think about the practicalities, get the basic reassemble down to a few minutes, and pack your biggest smile, then go for it. Part of this will translate into where you're planning to go once you leave the terminal. If visiting a friend in the city, maybe you can take the subway out to them, or they can pick you up, or at least meet you and keep you company (stand guard) while you get the bike together, then you can take the subway together (bikes are allowed on NYC subways).

indyfabz

When I went to prep school in New England in the early 80s we had charter busses to the terminal during holiday breaks because there were so many kinds from NY/NJ/CT. One time I got off the bus and was going to transfer to a bus home to Philly when some creepy looking guy asked me if I was alone and needed a place to stay. Must have thought I was a runaway. I hear it's better than it used to be these days.



Anywho...Drag the box out to the 8th Ave. sidewalk. It's pretty wide in front of the entrance, and there is an overhang.

tcs

I read that some 70,000 folks with run of the mill, everyday pocket knives have been busted by the NYC police for illegal possession of 'gravity knives'. OP: Google it - and preplan your unpacking&breakdown accordingly.

1nterceptor

Been using Port Authority terminal for many years. Have seen a lot of things; people sleeping on the floor, using the stairs as benches, etc. So a fella unboxing a bike shouldn't raise an eyebrow; or will it?

Here's what I did when I flew from NYC to LA. Landed at LAX, chose a wall/area that had the least people passing.
Assembled my bike, gathered my belongings without making too much of a mess and/or getting in people's way. Folded my box and placed it next to a garbage can. Walked my bike to the nearest door/exit and rode away. No issues, nobody said anything.

FBinNY 

I don't know where you got the figure, but assuming it's valid, let's have some perspective.

There are 8,000,000 people living in NYC plus a bunch of daily commuters, and visitors. A decent percentage of them have knives on their person, which is legal in New York.

Having a knife on your person is legal in NYC, except if/when there's criminal intent. Cops may infer intent, and arrest, then it's up to a judge and/or jury to decide if there's evidence to support that notion. As a practical matter, cops don't want to create a legal bottleneck with lots of arrests that result in dismissals, so they're very unlikely to bother about a knife, unless there's some reason to impute intent, or (improperly) as a pretext to arrest someone who they wish to arrest for other reasons.

So, a normal citizen with a small knife, and a straight forward reason for having it, ie. cutting up the box or strings as necessary to unpack a bike, has very little to fear from cops. Of course this means that you shouldn't get into a shouting match with a cop if you happen to have a knife on your person.

indyfabz

Sounds like it isn't all that much better.


That's what I did twice when I took Amtrak with my bike to Seattle. Wasn't about to drag that thing to the hostel. Found an out-of-the way place to unbox and assemble the bike.

TimothyH

This is 100% correct.

Searching anyone who is stopped used to be standard procedure when I lived there.

That's how they got all the illegal guns off the street. If you were stopped for any offense you were searched for weapons. Period. NYC is (was) very aggressive in terms of keeping any weapons off the street, more so than just about any other jurisdiction.

Building a bike or a construction worker on the way to work or some other legitimate excuse for having a knife isn't a big deal. It is a tool, not a weapon. Jump a turnstile into the subway or shoplift a pack of gum however and they will surely search you and have reason to suspect that a knife is not a tool but a weapon.

Personally, I would not have the slightest hesitation to carry whatever tools I needed.


-Tim-

spinnaker

I have had guests that informed me they got hassled at the Pittsburgh station too. There is a ton of room there. and the station does not get an awful lot of people. Not like you would be in anyone's way.

I have had my troubles there too and didn't even have a bike. The guards are basically aholes.

FBinNY 

Yes, there's always the chance that he'll get hassled, as in told to get his sh*t together and get out of there. But there's an equal chance that he'll be told to get the bike together as soon as possible and clean up after himself.

I once had an airport cop tell me that his circuit takes roughly half an hour and I shouldn't be there when he loops back.

In any case, I was responding to a post about the risk of arrest over a knife, and wanted to explain that that issue wasn't a real concern.

BTW- a big part of this kind of thing is about knowing how to talk to cops; something that, IMO, should be part of the HS curriculum.

alan s 

Who uses a knife to assemble their bike?

Vintage_Cyclist

Actually, intent is irrelevant for knives that are designated in the NYS Penal Law as deadly weapons. Mere possession is your ticket to the carnival. There are a bunch of different types of knives that are not legal for possession in NY: switchblades, daggers, gravity knives, ballistic knives (yeah really, some idiots were actually using what was essentially a knife gun that shot a blade instead of a bullet), among others.

A regular pocket knife, such as a Swiss Army, Opinel or other folding knife, that can't be opened with a flick of the wrist is generally okay, as long as the blade doesn't exceed 4 inches. Those tactical looking knives that flip open with a thumb tab and a wrist flick are mostly going to get treated as a gravity knife, as noted, intent is irrelevant. Easier to just avoid the issue and not carry something that is problematic in NY.

As far as assembling a bike, find a spot that isn't obstructing foot traffic. If you see a cop, just ask them where a good spot is. It's unlikely you'll find a Port Authority cop who'd have a problem with it; they're usually busy enough with routine mopery and mischief at the terminal to make an issue out of someone unpacking a bicycle for 15-20 minutes.

If you're really lucky, some hobo will ask you for the cardboard box to use as his bed for the night and you won't have to break it down!

FBinNY 

Actually, nobody suggested a knife. Someone brought it up warning of the risk of arrest, and derailed the thread to an extent.

tcs

Shipped on bus in packaged cardboard box, box must be opened at destination. Doesn't seem farfetched to me. I specifically quoted unpacking and breaking down the box in my post. Try to keep up.

tcs

Don't you New Yorkers refer to the Times as the 'newspaper of record'?

alan s 

You can use a screwdriver or any other small pointed object to cut packing tape, it that’s the issue. Box cutter would work, as well. No need to go all Crocodile Dundee here.

FBinNY 

Some do, but that's besides the point. I don't keep every public statistic in my head, and simply and correctly stated that I didn't know your source. However i followed that by saying I'd assume it was true for the purposes of discussion.

My point was that the OP had nothing to worry about if he brought a pocket knife or box cutter suited to his needs.

In any case, we don't need to spend so much time on a side issue.

fantom1 

Honestly, you are sounding like the kind of person that would attract something like that.

Why would that thought even enter your head?

sdotkling

This is way too complicated. A couple of years ago I pedaled along the Delaware to Trenton, and ran out of daylight. Went to the bus station of a little New Jersey town, waited for a bus with my ticket, and asked the driver if it was okay if I slid my bike into the luggage compartment, fully assembled, panniers off and set to the side. Driver grunted, and it was done. We arrived at the Port Authority an hour or two later, I attached the panniers to the bike and off I went into the din and chaos of midtown Manhattan. But if boxing and reassembling is something you think you must truly do, please understand that the Port Authority Bus Terminal is a dysfunctional anarchy, and assembling a bike in some little trafficked corner should not be a problem, especially compared to the droves of homeless, the drunken brawls, and the occasional heart attack that is much more common. Just don't ask for permission, because whoever you ask will have to figure out how to clear it with their boss, who that boss might be, and what that boss might say...and it's just easier to say "no." Seize the day!

indyfabz

That made my day. I have to deal with the PAN&NJ at a higher level. Even there the amount of bureaucracy is mind blowing.