Greyhound passengers are frustrated after having to spend the night sleeping on the floor of a bus station at the STC bus terminal in Regina due to a Highway 1 closure.
“They’ve left us with just the one inch mats, and at night, no blankets, no pillows, just on your own,” Devin Bergman, a passenger who was travelling from Vancouver to Hamilton.
“It’s very unnerving the thoughts that start to creep in. Maybe you’re not going to get there. Is Greyhound going to get you to your destination or are they just going to leave you stranded?” he said.
Bergman was going to see his 11-month-old daughter when the Greyhound bus he was travelling on was forced to turn back at Grenfell, Sask. to Regina due to inclement weather.
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A winter storm in Manitoba shut down Highway 1 at the border between Saskatchewan and Manitoba lasting from Tuesday until Wednesday afternoon. More than 30 passengers were affected by the closure, and many were stuck at the station for over 24 hours.
Passenger Tonya Simons said she was more frustrated with the lack of communication from Greyhound than being stranded.
“There’s a relief because Greyhound did nothing for us but leave us here laying on mats like dogs overnight,” she said.
According to STC, stranded passengers were given meal vouchers and mats to sleep on.
“We work with Greyhound to ensure that their passengers have a safe place to stay warm when they’re stranded due to the weather. We keep our terminal open and ensure we have security available,” Candace Caswell, the STC communications executive director, said.
But passengers like Erik Vanderbol from Vancouver said that wasn’t good enough. He was supposed to start his new job in Toronto on Friday but said he would have to explain to his new boss about his situation.
“It’s frustrating for any terminal because they are now stuck in a terminal overnight. You’re expected to be somewhere at a certain time. No accommodations were offered. No fare by train or by plane,” he said.
In a statement, Greyhound said they don’t provide hotel accommodations due to unpredictable weather.
“In terms of providing hotel accommodations, because the weather is so unpredictable and we don’t know when we’re able to get customers back on the road, we do what we can to keep them comfortable and warm in our station so it’s quick and easy to get them on their way once it’s safe to travel again,” the statement said.
As to whether customers will get a refund, Greyhound said it’s on a case-by-case basis.
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