Stranded on the side of the road
Greyhound driver abandons passengers
By: Kevin Rollason
When Lauralye Ross boarded a Greyhound bus in Thompson with a ticket to Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Cross Lake, she didn't expect to be abandoned on the side of the highway watching the vehicle recede into the distance.But that's what happened to Ross and 15 other people -- including a baby -- on Wednesday at about 7 p.m., when 45 kilometres shy of their homes, the Greyhound bus driver suddenly turned around. He was heading back to Wabowden, almost two hours away, after realizing he'd forgotten two passengers there.
When the driver turned the bus around, said Ross, "This one girl said, 'Stop the bus, I want to get off.' Then the bus driver said, 'Get off my bus.' We just got off."
The passengers had no expectation of being picked up, but some hoped to use cellphones to call people in Cross Lake for a ride. They were helped to the reserve about 10 minutes after they were dropped off, by workers from the nearby Manitoba Hydro Jenpeg generating station.
Greyhound officials have already apologized, launched an investigation, pulled the driver from behind the wheel and offered to refund the passengers' tickets. However, Ross, who was returning home after having had her gallbladder removed in Thompson, said it's not enough.
"I'm not out anything -- the medical paid for it," she said on Friday. "I don't care about the money. I want a (personal) apology. This shouldn't have happened."
Ross said she was wearing only a sweater because she never expected to be dropped off on the side of the highway in a wilderness area.
Environment Canada said temperatures during the day in Cross Lake and Thompson were above normal, reaching almost 3 C, but dipped to near zero overnight.
Aboriginal leaders reacted with outrage over the Greyhound driver's actions.
Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief Garrison Settee said he wants Greyhound officials to visit his reserve, located 130 kilometres south of Thompson, and apologize in person.
"This incident is inexcusable," Settee said at a Winnipeg news conference. "It is appalling. It is morally and ethically wrong. There has been a blatant disregard of the safety of my people."
Eric Robinson, Manitoba's aboriginal and northern affairs minister -- himself a member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation -- said the incident "is inexcusable behaviour.
"We used to ride in the back of the bus and now we're left at the side of the road. I question the progress we have made."
Pimicikamak band councillor Donnie McKay, who is responsible for health in his community, said the passengers included people with diabetes and elderly people.
"This was very callous," McKay said. "I don't think anyone in the country, in Manitoba or Canada, can tolerate this."
Grand Chief David Harper of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, said it was "totally unacceptable."
Greyhound spokeswoman Maureen Richmond said the driver violated the company's procedures and all passengers on the trip will be refunded. "Our main concern is the safety and security of our passengers," Richmond said in a telephone interview from Cincinnati. "We are conducting a full internal investigation."
Richmond verified the driver had been radioed by a dispatcher that he had neglected to pick up two passengers in Wabowden and needed to go back and get them.
But Richmond said the driver should not have just dropped the passengers off at the side of the highway. "He should have driven them there (Cross Lake) or made other arrangements."
Richmond is asking passengers to call Greyhound at (204) 949-7346 to help ensure they receive compensation for the trip.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 13, 2010 A4
Greyhound driver abandons passengers
By: Kevin Rollason
When Lauralye Ross boarded a Greyhound bus in Thompson with a ticket to Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Cross Lake, she didn't expect to be abandoned on the side of the highway watching the vehicle recede into the distance.But that's what happened to Ross and 15 other people -- including a baby -- on Wednesday at about 7 p.m., when 45 kilometres shy of their homes, the Greyhound bus driver suddenly turned around. He was heading back to Wabowden, almost two hours away, after realizing he'd forgotten two passengers there.
When the driver turned the bus around, said Ross, "This one girl said, 'Stop the bus, I want to get off.' Then the bus driver said, 'Get off my bus.' We just got off."
The passengers had no expectation of being picked up, but some hoped to use cellphones to call people in Cross Lake for a ride. They were helped to the reserve about 10 minutes after they were dropped off, by workers from the nearby Manitoba Hydro Jenpeg generating station.
Greyhound officials have already apologized, launched an investigation, pulled the driver from behind the wheel and offered to refund the passengers' tickets. However, Ross, who was returning home after having had her gallbladder removed in Thompson, said it's not enough.
"I'm not out anything -- the medical paid for it," she said on Friday. "I don't care about the money. I want a (personal) apology. This shouldn't have happened."
Ross said she was wearing only a sweater because she never expected to be dropped off on the side of the highway in a wilderness area.
Environment Canada said temperatures during the day in Cross Lake and Thompson were above normal, reaching almost 3 C, but dipped to near zero overnight.
Aboriginal leaders reacted with outrage over the Greyhound driver's actions.
Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief Garrison Settee said he wants Greyhound officials to visit his reserve, located 130 kilometres south of Thompson, and apologize in person.
"This incident is inexcusable," Settee said at a Winnipeg news conference. "It is appalling. It is morally and ethically wrong. There has been a blatant disregard of the safety of my people."
Eric Robinson, Manitoba's aboriginal and northern affairs minister -- himself a member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation -- said the incident "is inexcusable behaviour.
"We used to ride in the back of the bus and now we're left at the side of the road. I question the progress we have made."
Pimicikamak band councillor Donnie McKay, who is responsible for health in his community, said the passengers included people with diabetes and elderly people.
"This was very callous," McKay said. "I don't think anyone in the country, in Manitoba or Canada, can tolerate this."
Grand Chief David Harper of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, said it was "totally unacceptable."
Greyhound spokeswoman Maureen Richmond said the driver violated the company's procedures and all passengers on the trip will be refunded. "Our main concern is the safety and security of our passengers," Richmond said in a telephone interview from Cincinnati. "We are conducting a full internal investigation."
Richmond verified the driver had been radioed by a dispatcher that he had neglected to pick up two passengers in Wabowden and needed to go back and get them.
But Richmond said the driver should not have just dropped the passengers off at the side of the highway. "He should have driven them there (Cross Lake) or made other arrangements."
Richmond is asking passengers to call Greyhound at (204) 949-7346 to help ensure they receive compensation for the trip.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 13, 2010 A4
