The Gray Dog offers priority seating

Word comes via the Los Angeles Times about a new program for those who like to save money/headaches on long-distance trips by bypassing the airport in favor of the old reliable Greyhound bus system. Taking a page out of Southwest Airline's book, the Grey Dog is testing a priority seating program. On selected routes, passengers may pay $5 to upgrade to the seat of their choice. The program is only available in the terminal in advance of boarding, though.

I think this program could be even more alluring though, with a slight change; rather than allowing me to choose my seat, I'd like to be allowed to choose those who I don't want to sit beside. A brief tour of the terminal would allow me to rule out the smokers whose clothes reek of Camels, the obsessive talkers ("and my eleventh grandchild was voted most likely to be release on his own recognizance"), those who seldom visit the laundromat, the muttering, seething-with-anger ex-cons, and the cell-phone addicted with no sense of shame or privacy.

Put me in a different row from them, and there aren't any bad seats on a Greyhound, imho.

Thanks to Gadling for the tip