Gift or Gouge?

Recently I was assisting a friend with travel arrangements.  The travel was to be by bus, which means the only choice is Greyhound.  In an attempt to simplify the process, I was going to purchase the ticket online so that it would be ready when we arrived at the bus station and thereby minimize our time spent at the station.  However, since I was not traveling myself, the company was going to charge an $18.00 "gift ticket fee".  What's up with that??    Is this a "gift" or a "gouge"?