Greyhound: Hiring, Background Check & Employment Verification FAQs

Greyhound traces its origins to 1914, when Swedish immigrant Carl Eric Wickman, who had settled in Hibbing, Minnesota, because its climate reminded him of home, found himself unable to sell a single seven-passenger Hupmobile automobile after being laid off from his job as a mine drill operator. Rather than let the car go to waste, Wickman began using it to transport miners between Hibbing and nearby Alice, Minnesota, along the Mesaba Iron Range, charging 25 cents for a round trip and effectively founding the first bus company in the United States. The company grew steadily through mergers with other regional bus operators throughout the 1920s, formally adopting The Greyhound Corporation name in 1929.

Greyhound expanded significantly over the following decades, and by the 1960s and 1970s, company leadership began diversifying the business beyond bus operations amid declining ridership, acquiring stakes in industries ranging from the Armour meat-packing company (and its Dial soap brand) to Travelers Express money orders and the MCI bus manufacturing company; the company's headquarters moved to Phoenix, Arizona during this diversified era. In March 1987, a Dallas-based investment group led by Fred G. Currey purchased the struggling core bus operations from Greyhound Corporation in a $350 million leveraged buyout, forming the newly independent Greyhound Lines, Inc. and relocating its headquarters to Dallas, Texas, where it remains today; the original Greyhound Corporation continued on as a separate consumer products company, eventually becoming the Dial Corporation and later splitting into what became Viad Corp.

Greyhound Lines became a wholly owned subsidiary of Laidlaw Inc., a Canadian transportation firm, in March 1999. In October 2007, Greyhound became a subsidiary of Scottish transportation company FirstGroup. More recently, Greyhound Lines was acquired by Flix SE (the parent of FlixBus), integrating Greyhound into the broader FlixBus network while the Greyhound brand and Dallas headquarters have continued to operate. Today, Greyhound operates more than 120 routes and roughly 230 company-operated stations, along with a fleet of approximately 1,700 motorcoaches serving destinations across the United States and Mexico.

Company culture and employee programs: Greyhound describes its mission as providing the opportunity for anyone to travel between cities in North America with safety, dignity, and convenience. The company has a long history of workforce evolution, including beginning to hire African American and female drivers in the late 1970s as part of broader industry changes. Benefits, routes, and advancement opportunities can vary by role and location, so candidates should confirm specifics with a recruiter during the hiring process.

Yes. Employers in the intercity bus and passenger transportation industry, including Greyhound, are legally required to conduct thorough background checks on driver candidates, given federal Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations for passenger-carrying commercial drivers in addition to standard employment screening. In the United States, employment screening is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which requires employers to obtain written consent, provide disclosures, and follow adverse action procedures.

Greyhound is generally reported to conduct background checks as part of its hiring process, which is both standard practice and a federal regulatory requirement for commercial bus drivers under DOT and FMCSA rules, given their responsibility for the safety of passengers.

The hiring process for bus driver positions at Greyhound typically includes an application, verification of a commercial driver's license with a passenger endorsement, a review of driving records, DOT-required drug and alcohol testing, and a background check prior to a final offer.

Background check timelines can vary based on the type of screening requested and how quickly records can be verified. Learn more about typical background check turnaround times to understand what factors can affect the process.

A typical pre-employment background check for a commercial bus driver role may include:

Under the FCRA, criminal history reporting is generally limited to seven years for most background checks, though FMCSA regulations require commercial driver employment history checks going back at least three years, and safety-sensitive drug and alcohol violation history is checked through the FMCSA Clearinghouse without a standard time limit.

Hiring decisions involving candidates with criminal records are generally made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the nature of the offense, how much time has passed, and its relevance to a role involving the transportation of passengers, with federal regulations imposing specific restrictions on certain offenses for CDL holders with passenger endorsements. Some states have adopted "ban-the-box" laws that restrict when employers can ask about criminal history during the hiring process.

Candidates can generally expect to provide personal information such as full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number, along with signed consent authorizing the background check, in compliance with FCRA and DOT/FMCSA requirements. A valid CDL with a passenger endorsement is required for driving positions.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that regulates how employers can use background check information in hiring decisions. It requires employers to notify candidates before running a check, obtain written consent, and follow specific adverse action procedures if a decision is made based on background check results.

Running a personal background check with Checkr lets you preview what Greyhound may see during the hiring process, helping you address any concerns before you apply. A personal background check can include:

Learn more about Checkr Personal Background Checks and explore your Checkr Profile to see what information may appear in your own background check.

If you're a candidate with a background check in progress through Checkr as part of your application to Greyhound or another employer, you can check your status through the Candidate Portal. For additional support, visit the Checkr Help Center.

The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. All information is for general informational purposes only. Checkr does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of this information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. This article may contain links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader. Checkr does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites and disclaims any affiliation with the companies mentioned in this article unless otherwise stated.