Travel, Buses - Greyhound Bus Lines : poor treatment of a passenger

Complaints.com received the following e-message on June 29, 2001:

From: Muffy Marracco [Email User]

complaint Greyhound Bus Lines

Please post this in your database; I wrote to Greyhound both via snail mail

and email and have not even received an acknowledgement of my complaint. --- I am writing to complain about my treatment as a passenger on Sunday June 3,

2001. I have previously traveled many times on Greyhound, and on this same

route between Philadelphia and New York, with little trouble. I did not even

see fit to complain when I sat in the last seat by the window on the right

side of the bus and was subjected to not only the sounds of every toilet

user but also their reflection in the window. I purchased my ticket at 8:16 p.m., paying cash. I asked when the next bus

was arriving, since I noted a line already at Gate 7, where the New York

bound bus departs from. I was told the next bus was at 8:30, and so I

joined the line as the 15th or so passenger. The line of passengers naturally grew behind me as 8:30 came and went. No

bus ever pulled in to gates 7 or even neighboring 6, and the only bus to

depart from gate 8 was marked "Charlotte." 9 p.m. approached and a bus

pulled in. I handed my ticket to the driver, gave my luggage with tag to the

handler, and boarded the bus, sitting in about the 4th row on the right side

by the window. After about 10 minutes, at which point the bus was completely full, the

driver entered the bus, stood at the front and brusquely informed us "I need

ten seats." Those were the only words or means of explanation she ever

offered to us. She did not explain why people needed to get off the bus, she

did not ask for volunteers, and she made no effort to ask those who had been

last to board the bus to get off first. Instead she proceeded to make her

way through the bus, handing out the tickets she had just collected to

confused passengers, including myself, based either on her own arbitrary

decisions or prejudices, and not on any fair or rational basis. It was only after we exited the bus that a male Greyhound representative

explained to us that the bus would be making a stop in Mt. Laurel, NJ and

needed room for passengers there. He made no apology for the driver's grave

error in filling the bus before realizing she would need empty seats

(surely, her route or seating needs could not have come as a surprise?), nor

any apology for her behavior in dealing with us. He offered us, as

compensation, the chance to be the first ten passengers on the next New York

bound bus, which was frankly a load of horseshit because I had been one of

the first passengers on the bus I was just unceremoniously kicked off of. He claimed that the next bus, the 10 p.m. express, would get us to New York

at the same time, which is again a load of horseshit. The 9 p.m. bus

finally departed around 9:08, and I know from personal experience it does

not take 52 minutes to make the stop in Mt. Laurel. According to your own

Greyhound schedule, the stop only takes 10 minutes. A Greyhound

representative blatantly lied to angry customers who were justified in

demanding an explanation or some form of compensation. We then demanded to know why the 8:30 express bus had not departed as

scheduled. He said he would go to check what had happened-and simply never

returned to deal with us. He was later spotted in the control booth by a

passenger, seemingly avoiding us. Is this how your employees are trained to

deal with customers? By running away and hiding from them? The behavior of both driver and representative were shockingly

unprofessional. My story, however, does not end there. Two of my fellow passengers went in search of this elusive representative

after he had left us standing around for nearly 10 minutes, awaiting his

alleged return. They found another Greyhound employee, and I could see them

speaking to him through the glass doors of the station. They came back and

told us that he claimed the 8:30 had departed-meaning he was either grossly

misinformed, or again, lying. Every passenger there had been waiting in

line prior to 8:30. As I said, I had purchased my ticket at 8:16 and was

told the next bus was at 8:30-and I have ridden this route at least 20

times, and saw no bus arrive nor depart. Another passenger had been waiting

since he bought his ticket at 7:59 p.m. Finally, a manager or representative in a yellow shirt (going by the name

Seymour, I believe) was cornered by three passengers and an explanation

demanded. He was friendly, yet sadly also a shameless liar. He apologized

for the manner of the driver, said he knew nothing of the 8:30 bus, and told

us at around 9:25 p.m. he would put us on a bus immediately, ahead of

schedule. We boarded this bus, gratified that perhaps Greyhound was finally

making up for the way we treated. How foolish we were! We were allowed to

board the bus, which then made the regular 10 p.m. departure. We were all greatly inconvenienced. We were forced to wait another hour for

departure after having already waited for a phantom bus that never arrived,

pushing our arrival in New York to midnight-rather than the original 10:30

p.m. I am not sure if you have ever been in the Port Authority at 10:30 or

12, but arriving at midnight makes a considerable difference. For instance,

I had to take a taxi home rather than the subway I was originally planning

on. Another passenger nearly missed a connecting bus. I might have been able to excuse being kicked off a bus I had been waiting

45 minutes for, and had boarded before at least 20 others, had the driver

not been so rude, and had we not been openly and unapologetically lied to.

Comment On This

I am appalled that someone else also experienced the outrageous unprofessional behaviors of the greyhound staff hired. From the Management (who, yes, left and never returned after hearing our plight)to the ticket agent and securty staff in the SF terminal. I was actually called a liar, and told I was halucinating if I believed what I told them happened! I and three other (scheduled) customers all had mouths drop when watching the actions and verbal abuse from these people. Actually stating they would charge more and then more, for another ticket, The more we protested about greyhound's obvious mishandled boarding and directions on when and where they had sent us. When it was on tape, on our tickets, and several passengers all stating the same facts! Refused to give telephone numbers for supervisors, gave one number which they answered and left off the hook, and one left with another's ticket!!!! Two people were left with no where to go, no money for the price hike for another ticket, one paid the adiitional double charge and I had to call family to drive me the 64 miles, make my appointment and drive me back! Had a round trip ticket, that was totally useless. I am totally dumbfounded any company could survive with this type of structure. Complete unchecked employee abuses, without any professionalism, respect for those who pay for the service and ensures they have a job! The management is totally invisable and seems to structure the business so it is handled at the lowest level. I thought I had found a wonderful way to travel, now it's simply the worst alternative when wanting to get somewhere.