MORE GREYHOUND PASSENGERS SPEAK-UP & UPDATE ON White River 14hrs Stranded
Buses finally ready to continue heading West, little did the passengers no their difficulties were far from over and answers would not be quick to come from Greyhound's head offices. Photo OntarioNewsNorth.com
January 2nd, 2010 at approximately 14:30 (2:30pm) OntarioNewsNorth.com Editor/Publisher Karina Hunter travelled to White River, Ontario after the Mother of a Greyhound passenger stranded in the Northwestern Ontario community called hoping for answers as to what was happening to her 19yr old son – were the highways opened? was he expecting to continue his travels? was his driver alright? was her son safe?
I called Greyhound media relations after her call, there was no answer, I called a source with a police scanner in the White River area – that person had heard talk of a Greyhound driver being at the maximum consecutive hours he could drive earlier in the day – my final call was to her son, Patrick M. to check if he had any answers yet as to when they would be moving as I needed to decide where I would intercept these passengers, who had been in White River since approximately 03:15 (3:15am Jan 2) when they had been told ‘sit tight’ and left until 13:00 (1pm) without anyone from Greyhound contacting them, he had received information, they were expecting to have a driver to depart at 16:00 (4pm), I decided I would get on the highway (614), it’s about a 40 minute drive to the TransCanada Hwy 17 and I would call Patrick M. again from that point to see if I should go to White River (about another 30 minutes East from there) or Marathon (approximately 30 minutes West from the 614/17 junction) the next stop they would make.
At approximately 15:30 (3:30pm) I arrived at the junction of Hwy 614 & 17 and called Patrick M., they did not have a driver yet, they did not know when they might get on the highway and so I headed East. CLICK HERE for the rest of how that unfolded.
They did eventually get back on Highway 17 at approximately 17:30 (5:30pm) to continue West. It wasn’t long after (before even making their next scheduled stop in Marathon), that the bus had to stop, when an elderly passenger whose regular medication schedule had been affected by the delay had problems. Of the approximately 110 passengers aboard 2 buses involved in the incident destinations varied; Thunder Bay, Fort Frances, Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver, etc; Greyhound Spokesperson Tim Stokes, assured OntarioNewsNorth.com, and several other media outlets (including the Canadian Press, Toronto Star, CTV, and others) that “When we were able to resume, we created new schedules to take them right to their stops,” none of the passengers were aware of any ‘new schedules’ (from Monday until Thursday – when the last passengers finally made their British Columbia destinations) and many were left with more un-answered questions when they failed to make important connections as a result of the 14hr + delay.
Steve Y, a paramedic student travelling to Fort Frances was one of these. Arriving in Thunder Bay Sunday he advised his bus driver and Greyhound terminal staff that he had missed his connection to Fort Frances and there would not be another bus headed there until Tuesday at 09:30 (9:30am), he was told it was ‘not their fault’. Steve asked if there was any way accommodations could be provided until then as, being a student, there was no ‘extra’ budget for a hotel room he was told he could wait in the terminal – for the next approximately 36 hours. Sunday he opted to stay in the terminal, though Greyhounds’ Tim Stokes asked me to provide contact information for Steve Y., assuring me they would put him in a hotel until Tuesday’s connection, I did not have a phone # for Steve Y., just an email and he had, by then, managed to get a hotel room and followed that up by hitching a ride to Fort Frances (he could not afford to fall any further behind in his course) HOWEVER when I did finally manage to track down a phone number for Steve Y. he did get in touch with Greyhound, relieved to hear they were committing to taking responsibility for the accommodations he was forced to find due to delays that COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED unfortunately the number Greyhound provided for him to use for compensation has not resulted in any compensation, he’s been given the same run-around that other passengers from this fiasco have experienced and the messages he leaves with Greyhound have NOT been returned, this was still the case as of Monday of this week.
Paul H. was travelling to Calgary with his brother, they were still in the company of approximately 20 other passengers from the White River situation as they continued beyond Thunder Bay, they were VERY surprised by Greyhound’s assurance to the media of “When we were able to resume, we created new schedules to take them right to their stops” as their trip did NOT involve ANY new schedule NOR did they travel ‘right to their stop’. They were held over several times, missing connections and getting the run-around. At one stop they were provided with a name & number at Greyhound scribbled on the back of another person’s business card, they were told this number would connect them to compensation (should they hope against hopes that an apology would be included as well?) but once again Greyhound dropped the ball, they were hung-up on, Greyhound officials suggested they were lying when they explained they were more than a full day behind schedule (in spite of the fact that each had ticket stubs or receipts, clearing showing how chronologically far behind they were).
This was almost a good scenario compared to what some of those travelling through to British Columbia dealt with, at one point another 17hr stop-over with no accommodations provided though Greyhound had told media that they would put them up if the passengers called as it had been the error in White River which had caused all the missed connections – this was not the only additional stop for those travelling to BC, just the longest since White River.
It seems that Greyhound might have some kind of protocol in place for these situations, my guess of how it could read ‘Deter, distract, deny until passengers give up, and ensure media is given the impression the opposite is happening’, but that is just the impression I have been given after more than a week of trying to help passengers get answers. The same numbers at which there is no answer and no return to messages for them, myself and other media have no trouble getting through to, in spite of many claims of passengers being connected beyond the original 14+hr stay in White River NOTHING was done to protect the safety of any passengers NOR was their ANY effort made to connect these people with the imaginary ‘new schedules’ that Greyhound was quoted as providing by so many media – the media can only quote what they are told, if people choose to lie it is up to the reader to take a closer look.
What I feel has been missed by some looking at this situation from the outside is the danger these people could have been in, I am very disappointed to read of some in White River even who have downplayed this as their community is ALSO at risk when Greyhound abandons passengers there without any care as to how things unfold afterwards. Tragedies aboard Greyhound buses in the recent past do not seem to have inspired any changes to safety or security protocol – both buses were left running, passengers were becoming so desperate that they actually identified, though in jest, those among them licenced to drive buses. It seems that many have suggested these passengers ‘should’ve known what to expect travelling through Northern Ontario during winter’ I am unsure what this implies, should the parent of the 3 year old have had a full snow suit packed in her carry-on luggage? Or perhaps she should’ve had enough snacks on board + toys for a 14hour un-scheduled stop-over? Should those travelling all the way to BC likewise have had full winter snowmobile suits packed on their carry on and a few hundred dollars cash on them for that stop plus the other unexpected stopover to book hotel rooms and pay for a dozen extra meals? REALLY? And I wonder, do these same travellers have any advice what these people should’ve had planned in case of emergency in Central Manitoba? Northern Saskatchewan? Southern British Columbia? If not perhaps we could agree that it is hardly fair for people who have never been to Northern Ontario and had no plans to stopover here could not anticipate what to expect.
If you were a Greyhound Passenger aboard one of the two buses held over in White River January 2nd, Clint Docken of DOCKEN & COMPANY, Calgary,AB is representing the Group Action Suit against Greyhound, this will include a ‘behaviour modification’ clause to ensure their are protocol and standards put in place which will help avoid similar situations happening again. Below are stories from these and other passengers who have written in to OntarioNewsNorth.com to share their experiences making it clear that the White River incident WAS NOT isolated.
LAWYER CLINT DOCKEN
1-877-269-3612 OR 403-269-7656
LETTERS FROM GREYHOUND PASSENGERS INVOLVED
Steve Y. here, I was the paramedic student on the greyhound 1291. I have tried to call greyhound numerous times now. They won’t return my calls, and when I called that Tim stokes, they just gave me the number for that compensation line(Which is the line not returning my calls). Not quite sure what to do from here.
From Wayne G – When we got to edmonton at 230am the security was going to lock us out until 5am. They new nothing about our situation. Thank goodness a young grayhound employee listen to our story and let us stay inside. Myself and another passenger were verbally abused by a baggage handler because we thought we seen our baggage on another cart, other fellow just about hit him after he told us to F@*k off and eat sh*t. Can u believe that? We were right about our luggage. [EDITOR: Good thing Wayne & the other passenger spoke up about their luggage, too bad they had to be verbally attacked to have it put on the right cart. WHY did Greyhound not ensure that these people would at least have a smooth go for the rest of the trip???]
My name is Randy W, my girlfriend Tiffany P. and I were two of the passengers that were stuck aboard one of the greyhounds in White River. We were traveling from Sault Ste. Marie to Vancouver. First off I just wanted to thank you for bringing exposure to the fact that we were so poorly treated. We finally made it to our destination last night at 11pm, about 13 hrs late. Ive spent my morning trying to get in contact with someone at greyhound but no one is answering any of the numbers we have been provided. I’ve called the phone number on the business card that the security guard in Winnipeg gave us, there was no answer. As well I phoned the number that greyhound published online in one of the media reports, still no answer. I was wondering if you have heard any other information or know of anyone else that we can call. We feel completely mistreated and the rest of the 60 hrs we spent on the greyhound was no better. The security was treating everyone like they were criminals for asking simple questions like “which line do I belong in?” and we were often threatened to be kicked off the bus for asking simple questions about information that should be available to us. We both are completely turned off from using Greyhound ever again, regardless if we ever see any compensation. [EDITOR: As of Thursday, Jan 6th Randy & Tiffany still had heard NOTHING from Greyhound]
It was quite a trip and I vow never to take Greyhound again…i’ll pay the extra money to fly to wherever I need to go.
I left Ontario on the 1st and I arrived at my destination at 9am today. I also missed my connection in Calgary and had to wait 6 hours at the depot and buy another ferry ticket as mine was no longer valid and they would not accept it. No refunds were given to any of us. It wasn’t just a few hours, it was more than half a day. We knew how to open and close the doors and we knew where to walk to buy food with money we didn’t have. Quite a few of us are on medication for illness. I packed for my trip and my trip alone, others may have done the same. We sat there for so long without anything, feeling abandoned by a company who supposedly “cares”.
FROM PASSENGERS ON OTHER GREYHOUND BUSES
Denise G. – Jan. 2, we went to the Sault Ste. Marie Terminal to catch the 7:10 p.m. bus to Ottawa. There was a huge crowd there because the morning bus had been “cancelled” due to closed highways and those passengers were told to come back for the evening bus. I got in line to buy my daughters ticket to Ottawa and was told by other passengers that a bus was enroute from Sudbury to pick up the many eastbound passengers in Sault Ste. Marie. Approximately one hour later, I reached the ticket counter where i was told that the busses had “just” left Sudbury and was told to come back at 11 p.m. We arrived back at the terminal at 10:30 p.m. to find 2 large vans waiting to take passengers to Sudbury and were told the busses would arrive “any minute” for the rest of the passengers and that connecting buses would be waiting in Sudbury. My daughter left Sault Ste. Marie at 11 p.m. in the van, arrived in Sudbury at approximately 2:30 a.m. The passengers exited the vans and it drove off. The doors to the Sudbury Terminal were locked and the passengers were eventually let in by a janitor. The bus that was supposed to be “minutes” behind the vans arrived in Sudbury at approximately 5:30 a.m. (3 hours later) At 9 a.m. on Jan. 3, I received a text message from my daughter saying they were just leaving Sudbury! I am appalled by Greyhounds total lack of communication and false information. I wanted to put in a complaint to Greyhound but wasn’t really sure how to go about this and be assured that my complaint would be taken seriously. This was my daughters third round trip from Ottawa to Sault Ste. Marie since September 2010. I seriously beleive every passenger involved deserves an apology to say the least!! [EDITOR: Why did the drivers of these vans not wait to ensure the passengers were safely in the terminal? Why does it seem so difficult to get a truthful, accurate answer from Greyhound in regards to waits or e.t.a.’s? Does Greyhound not think people might be a little more patient if they were being given accurate information?]
I see things have not changed with Greyhound. In January of 2005, my mother who lived in Medicine Hat passed away and I was on my way back to Winnipeg after the funeral. It was -32 and 2:30AM when we arrived by Greyhound bus in Regina. As we did the driver made an announcement that the bus would not go on due to weather conditions in Manitoba. An inconvenience at this point. As I leave the bus, I ask the driver when the next bus will possibly leave for Winnipeg and I’m told 8AM. I think I will just wait in the depot until I can board the next bus. At 3AM I am told by security people that I must leave the depot as it’s closing. I am 60 years old, it’s -32 outside, middle of the night and I have luggage to look after on snow covered streets. I tell the security people that I have no where to go, don’t know Regina. They can’t tell me where an open coffee shop might be, or the nearest hotel and when I say I won’t be thrown out they say they’ll call the police and I will be [thrown out]. So, I ask if anyone has change to put my luggage in a “locked compartment” so at least I won’t have to carry it and no change is available. The security people tell me I can walk to the nearest 7-11 and get change – about 3-4 blocks away. I have no choice. I go. At the 7-11 the woman clerk asks why I am walking about in the worst area of the city, alone, at night in the cold. I tell her what’s happening and an answer to prayer – the supervisor of the security people happens to be in the 7-11 getting coffee and overhears me. By the time I get back to the depot with my change this supervisor has called ahead and told his security people that they must let me stay in the depot and one must stay with me. I’m thankful someone has a heart. By 6AM the bus depot had re-opened. By 8AM I was on the bus on my way to Winnipeg. [P] I called customer service Greyhound and told them what had happened. I wasn’t asking for compensation, not a paid hotel room but just a warm place to sit and wait. They told me this was not their problem but laws passed by the city of Regina as to the closing of the depot. I disagreed, in that they could have a plan in place for weather related times like this – could Greyhound not have paid a security guard to stay for 3 hours with stranded passengers? I also wrote to Greyhound head office and again was told – not their problem – not even a “sorry”. So what has happened in White River does not surprise me. I am pleased that the people and the media of that area have made it known how badly Greyhound can treat their passengers. Faye Rolick [EDITOR: This is one of the stories that revolts me the most – is this how Seniors are treated by Greyhound? This woman was lucky not to be robbed, mugged or worse! Like many seniors who come from a generation of hard workers she did NOT want a hand-out or compensation, she was looking for an APOLOGY. Is that really too much too ask?]
Sami: Strange coincidence, or operations control center breakdown? I was on the bus from Montreal to Boston (schedule 9122) on Sunday night, and though it made it to White River JCT, VT, on time, we were left without a driver for up to 2 hours. Worse even, there were two buses that departed Montreal, and only one was available to continue to Boston. Passengers from one bus were told to get onto the other, and maybe up to 7 could not get on, as there weren’t enough places! […]Our ordeal lasted for 2 hours without comment from Greyhound. Basically it concluded with them sending in another driver. The strange tale of Greyhound and the two White Rivers…
