To: Peter Pan Customer Service
Subject: Held Captive on a Bus
Peter Pan: The People Professionals
To whom it may concern,
While normally I take the Amtrak train between Boston and New York, I decided this last weekend that I’d take the Greyhound bus. I purchased my ticket online and proceeded to the gate. My bus out to New York last Friday was 2 hours late, but the traffic was bad, so this wasn’t my biggest gripe.
However, my 1:00PM ride back on Sunday to Boston on the Peter Pan bus line was an absolutely terrible experience.
When we arrived at our only stop along the ride in Framingham, MA at 4:35 PM, about 20 minutes away from Boston, the people who had gotten their tickets to Framingham walked off of the bus. I was surprised and delighted to see that we were about 25 minutes ahead of schedule and that we would arrive in Boston ahead of time– something I was looking forward to after my previous trip. However, after the bus driver stood outside for 5 minutes to smoke a cigarette, he came back inside the bus and made an announcement:
“Usually,” he said, “on Sundays, I leave right after I drop off the passengers. You’d be about thirty minutes early. However, on the way here, I was told on my radio, ‘are you alright?’ I said, ‘yeah I’m fine,’ and they had told me that someone on this bus had called in and said that I was swerving all over the road and falling asleep.’”
I personally noticed this a bit along the way.
“And, since someone said this, and aggravated me, I’m going to aggravate you. We aren’t going to leave until 5 o’clock [25 minutes from then]. And no, you can’t go out and smoke.”
The driver kept us captive on the bus. Some people voiced their opinions, some even apologizing for whomever called the company that he was swerving. One person said, “I don’t know why you’re punishing all of us for something one person said,” and he replied, “one apple spoils all of the rest.” A woman asked if he could continue “because of the baby.” He said, “What baby?” The woman replied, “my baby,” picked up her child and showed it to him. “No way,” he said, and stood there, staring at us.
The bus driver continued to stand at the front of the bus, glaring at us, the passengers.
Finally, about ten minutes into the wait, one gentleman stood up and said he wanted to get off of the bus and asked the driver if he could get his bags. “No, you can’t,” he said.
He then asked again politely for the driver to get his bags. He still wouldn’t let him. The driver asked if he was going to Framingham, and the gentleman replied that he wasn’t, and he said that he couldn’t let him off of the bus, making up some excuse as to why. He argued for another five minutes to no avail. He was letting no passengers off of the bus.
This kind of behavior by an attendant is absolutely unacceptable. Peter Pan’s slogan is “The People Professionals,” but clearly this is not the case.
While I understand that a bus usually has to wait for the specific time to leave, he explicitly stated that he didn’t need to. But, most disturbingly, he would not let any passenger off of the bus. The mother with her child were forced to stay on the bus until they left, the gentleman wanting to leave wasn’t allowed to, and he stated in the beginning that nobody could leave to smoke at all.
When we left the Framingham station, I was seriously worried about the situation. He didn’t refer to anything he had said and left without saying a word.
No matter what situation happens, the customer should be considered important, whether that means not telling the driver that someone had called, or properly training these drivers to not react in this way to words of complaint. Even if he wasn’t swerving, this type of behavior is absolutely, no doubt, unacceptable for a professional company.
My experience was absolutely disturbing and I plan on never taking the Greyhound or Peter Pan bus in the future, opting to spend more money on the Amtrak lines because of this awful occurrence.
Sincerely,
Brian Moore
brian [at] brianmooremedia.com
Jsn
delivers a comment:
Whoa, bitch ass driver needs some slappin.
delivered on December 10, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Nik
delivers a comment:
AKA Why Peter Pan can suck a fairy.
delivered on December 10, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Jessica
delivers a comment:
I was on a similar hell-ride back in the early 90’s, when I used to commute from NYC (where I was going to college) to Boston (just another hop, skip, and jump to the teeny North Shore town I grew up in).
I took a Greyhound from Penn Station to South Station, routed to stop in Hartford. There were a couple sketchy dudes sneaking nips and smoking in the bathroom, there was a single mom with two kids-one of whom puked all over the place before we even got going, there I was reading Cider House Rules and trying not to gag…and a few other assorted folks just trying to Go North. The driver was a big white-haired red-faced middle-aged Irish guy who seemed seriously constipated and crabby from the get go. Finally we rolled out; after an hour or so, as we approached Hartford, the driver noticed a black kid listening to his walkman (no Ipods in those days). Barely audible were the treble sounds of his trax. Remember, it stinks like puke, the sketchy dudes are partying it up in the back,kids are crying, people are coughing, I’m pretending like I’m already home drinking a few beers… The driver tells the black kid to turn down his music, that it is bothering the fellow passengers. Complete bullshit; but the kid turns it down. As we approach the bus station in Hartford, the driver tells him again to turn it down. The kid cooperates–and remember, nobody can even hear this stuff over the general squallid din. When we pull in, the driver has a hissy and throws the kid off. Stranding him in Hartford for a few cymbal crashes and snaredrum beats. Racist, irrational crap. I, too, opted to pay more for the Amtrak “NE Corridor” for the remainder of my student days.
Assholes! Jessica
delivered on December 13, 2007 at 7:30 am
colleen
delivers a comment:
Almost the same thing happened to me in 2005 on a ride from NYC to Springfield. PP bus driver created a no-cellphone policy on our bus, yelled at passengers, and threatened to kick a woman off on the side of I-95. Then made an unscheduled stop at Six Flags (this was on top of the bus being almost 90 minutes late–and none of us were “allowed” to call the people who were meeting us at the station. It was weird, to say the least.
It was during that trip that I decided that Amtrak was worth the extra money. I wrote to Peter Pan, but I never heard back. Good for you for getting a response.
delivered on December 13, 2007 at 7:40 am
Jo
delivers a comment:
Why did no one call the police from the bus? Forget Peter Pan customer service. No one has a right to hold folks captive against their will. I wouldn’t stop fighting until the fool is fired.
delivered on December 13, 2007 at 10:03 am
dave
delivers a comment:
“Why didn’t anyone call the police”….That was the first thing I thought when I read the article in the Boston Globe…http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/13/no_ride_no_escape_from_angry_bus_driver/
So, OK, nobody thought to call the cops when it was happening….but you can call the cops NOW, and have them investigate it. Unlawful detention = kidnapping….don’t just get the guy fired, get him put in jail for this one.
delivered on December 13, 2007 at 11:06 am
jane
delivers a comment:
Hi. I came across your story on a news site and just had to search out your Blog.
Yes, I had a very similar experience some years ago on the route from Woods Hole to NYC. Things started out fine and by Providence the bus was very full. There was the normal passenger types, including a group of about 10 Swedish exchange students on their way to visit NYC. As we approached CT, I noticed the bus picking up speed. The driver was gruff and complained about noise. He yelled at a well-dressed older woman who was sitting diagonally in back of him to ’shut up’. He slammed the wheel and mirrors around. As we careened down the high way, weaving in and out of the passing lane as if he were driving a race car, at one point the bus swayed to the degree that it actually brushed a large semi-truck which we were rushing past.
Then, abruptly, he pulled over at a rest stop in CT. He went into the back of the bus, into the bathroom, with no word of explanation, where he stayed for over 10 minutes. At this point, people started to talk - everyone was in shock somewhat and we started checking with each other - ‘was this okay or was this guy off the wall’? The Swedish kids were alarmed. We all were. It’s was truly frightening. After the driver came out of the bathroom several people implored him to slow down. He responded rudely, but he did seem to calm down. And then as we approached NYC, traffic slowed him down, anyway.
I was shaken for hours, after disembarking. People, strangers, were actually holding hands, during the trip - for reassurance.
When I got home I did something I’d never done - I called the busline, obtained the proper name, and wrote a long descriptive letter about the incident. I immediately was called, once they received the letter. They were VERY interested in the story. I was also aware they were recording this. They asked for a lot of details and a description of the driver (they knew he was from the route and time of day). They then told me they were very concerned and were going to put a “plain clothed official” on his bus route to observe his behavior. They apologized and I felt they were not just placating me. In fact, their attention led me to believe that maybe others had contacted them.
In the end, I have no idea what happened to this man. This is completely my own impression, but after the trip, and something the bus manager told me, led me to believe they were concerned about some kind of drug use this driver may have had. I later heard that this was a problem with some drivers on the bus line.
Anyway, this is a long tale to tell you that registering your negative experience does get attention. If everyone on that bus I was on, had registered a complaint - I have no doubt that driver would have been fired immediately.
All the best,
Jane
delivered on December 13, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Susan
delivers a comment:
Hey Brian,
I’m really sorry to hear about the PP drama on your recent trip. I’ve been riding PP for years, Greyhound too, and as far as 750 miles roundtrip. I would always sit near the front because I was concerned about drowsiness. If I saw or suspected it, I would talk to the driver every few minutes…just banal conversation to keep his attention.
I’ve usually liked Peter Pan, however, in the past 5 or 7 years, the drivers have grown steadily worse.
Shame on them. He has to be fired. I think that is punishment enough, very harsh considering everyone has to eat and pay bills. I don’t think the police should be involved.
Best to you and the rest of the passengers.
Susan
delivered on December 13, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Doctor Biobrain
delivers a comment:
Maybe if you guys hadn’t been such annoying a-holes he wouldn’t have needed to go to such extremes. Besides, his ruse worked. The anonymous snitch learned his or her lesson and won’t be calling customer service with complaints again. So even if this guy is fired and arrested, he still got his point across. Not for himself, but for ALL the disgruntled swerving bus drivers who just don’t give a shit anymore. We should all be praising this guy, not burying him.
Besides, if you were a *real* man, you would have gotten out your Glock, pistol-whipped him in front of everyone, and then made him drive all the way to Boston with the thing in his mouth. And then right after you squeezed the trigger and showed him that it was really just a water pistol (thus making him wet himself in sweet relief), you’d proceed to pull your Magnum out of the back of your pants and spray his brains all over that giant windshield. But I guess kids these days would rather just write a blog post whining about it instead of putting their money where their mouth is. Looks like the manly bus driver got the best of the college kid yet again. When will you people ever learn?
delivered on December 13, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Bill
delivers a comment:
Sorry to hear about this unfortunate incident. Perhaps this driver has never heard the term “False Imprisonment”. I know it sounds a little overbearing, but it is a civil tort which is monetarily compensible. Sounds like you have some of the necessary elements. Defendants will be: The bus driver and Peter Pan. People wonder why society is so litigious. It’s because society is peppered with idiots like your driver. Good luck.
delivered on December 14, 2007 at 1:49 pm
(Brian) Lane Winfield (Moore) » A Response
delivers a pingback:
[...] situation on the bus. The way this whole thing got started was when I posted the very same e-mail I sent Peter Pan about my experience. What I said in there I believed to have happened and included [...]
delivered on December 15, 2007 at 6:25 am
p
delivers a comment:
What you are doing is absolutely wrong. I take peter pan buses to and from nyc at least twice a month and I experienced tons of delays. Once I was stuck on a bus for an hour, another time due to an accident on the highway it took me 8 hours to get from boston to nyc (they closed the highway down for hours, we were not allowed to leave the bus)
Is it ever Peter Pan’s fault? NO. Is it my fault for being cheap and taking a bus to/from NYC? probably. If i wanted white glove and door to door service I would be getting my ass in a private limo but due to financial constraints I have to take the bus.
I know someone who were on the bus with you who claimed that you and a few other passangers were disruptive, obnoxious and rude. Reading your little blog I can’t help but agree with him.
I hope that the driver does not get any punishment but incase he does lose his job do remember that there are fellow passangers out there who know you are not telling the complete truth and would speak out at the side of the driver in a civil lawsuit against you.
Good luck. you have a long, long battle ahead of you. Things like this just do not disapear when a man’s job and livlihood is on the line. Enjoy your holidays. The bus driver most likely won’t because of your little inappropriate behavior.
delivered on December 15, 2007 at 8:11 am
michael
delivers a comment:
Somebody please walk this kid to the nearest Army recruitment office. He needs some help to be a man.
I hope your parents can help pay for your legal problems that you are encountering with the bus driver. The driver has the upper hand at the moment and can sue you if his job goes either way. You can go public and offer and apology but the bottom line is that an entire bus minus 3 whiners are saying that you are the one that caused all the problems. Shame on you.
Be a man, admit your mistakes.
delivered on December 15, 2007 at 9:22 am
Brian Moore
delivers a comment:
For those reading these comments, for your information, by IP trace, both “p” and “michael” are the same person.
delivered on December 15, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Jason
delivers a comment:
Wow, smells like P/Michael is a Peter Pan bus driver. It’s a shame nobody thought to call the police. Had the 911 operator received a call claiming that a bus full of people are being held hostage by a crazy bus driver, that maybe, just maybe, might have drawn more than a few cops and the swat team…
I don’t know if they guy should wind up in prison, though he’s certainly committed a felony (kidnapping), but a good stiff firing is most certainly in order.
It’s crap like this that caused me to stop taking the bus from Mount Laurel, NJ to the Port Authority in NY, in favor of a 35 minute drive to Hamilton, NJ and a nice train ride on NJ Transit. Totally worth it.
delivered on December 15, 2007 at 7:36 pm
jbrandt
delivers a comment:
Jessica! That must have been on particular driver! I just posted a similar story from around the same time on consumerist.com. I might even have been on an earlier leg of that drive.
delivered on December 15, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Awful Marketing | Peter Pan driver holds passengers captive on bus
delivers a pingback:
[...] to passenger Brian Moore (read his blog entry on the ordeal) the driver stood at the front of the bus and told the riders that since [...]
delivered on December 16, 2007 at 10:33 am
Bus driver held passengers hostage at g a r y w o n g . o r g
delivers a pingback:
[...] http://lanewinfield.com/2007/12/10/to-peter-pan-customer-service-subject-held-captive-on-a-bus [...]
delivered on December 16, 2007 at 11:20 am
Gaby
delivers a comment:
I hate taking Peter Pan from Bos-NYC the buses always seem to be dirty and have that distinct public transit smell. I generally opt for the “Chinatown express” through Fungwah or Lucky Star. Clean buses and that leave every hour from either NYC or BOS. Sure a couple of Fungwah’s buses caught on fire once. But I’m sure that’s happened to the other bus lines at one time or another. I’ve never had a problem with them and big plus they stop at a Chinese buffet halfway on the trip.
delivered on December 16, 2007 at 1:38 pm
darla
delivers a comment:
thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences. while they may have been harrowing, I have read some of the best writing I have ever read in my life on this page today. thanks for the laughs, even if unintended (*especially the one about the water pistol and the glock (Dr BioBrian)–pricelesss. I was literally crying at my computer)….I’m in the middle of a harrowing paper and I really needed some stress-relief.
ahhhhh.
delivered on December 16, 2007 at 7:21 pm
darla
delivers a comment:
“plus they stop at a Chinese buffet halfway on the trip.”
Oh Gaby, they had you at “buffet”
delivered on December 16, 2007 at 7:22 pm
charles
delivers a comment:
Brian,
This sounds atrocious and there is no excuse whatsoever by such power-tripping (and asshol-ish) behavior by the driver. I would have called police in that situation I guess, but I can see why you might not of, as that might have delayed the bus even longer while the police showed up, took their report, radioed PP for a replacement driver, etc. and I’m sure you just wanted to get back to Boston ASAP. I am totally blown by what I read. While I usually take Amtrak or the Chinatown buses anyway, rest assured that Peter Pan has lost a customer for life and will be hearing from me as well. I would like some answers, and I wasn’t even on the bus (what do you think about that P/Michael?).
delivered on December 16, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Dr. Gebe
delivers a comment:
At the point when the guy asked to be let off and was not allowed off I would have returned to my seat and called 911; I at that point being falsely imprisoned. The Driver should be removed from the profession.
Also, If the driver was swerving and falling asleep I think I would have dome more than contact the bus company
delivered on December 16, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Mr jim
delivers a comment:
This is just nothing, for that 25 mins, let’s think about this on last week of Dec, 13, 2007, there was a big snow strom, people was sitting on the bus from New York to Boston at teh same time like Mr Bryan does, the bus was pulled in to Boston at 12.30 am on Dec, 14, 2007. so can you call the company or 911? i don’t think so, they just sit their ass in that bus for almost 12 hours. if you where on that bus for the trip just 4 hours and 15min, what do you want to compain, for that as little as 15.00.
delivered on December 18, 2007 at 6:11 pm
kris
delivers a comment:
Unfortuneately, some people feel that because they are riding on a bus, whether charter or public that they have a right to act like an idiot, loud, obnoxious, etc. YOU DO NOT!!! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to drive and concentrate with all that going on? Not to mention all the responsibility that driver has in his hands! The next time you ride on any bus and are inconvenienced a whopping 25 mins., you thank the driver that you got there in one piece safe and sound, and don’t forget to tip, PEOPLE HAVE NO CLASS OR MANNERS THESE DAYS, it’s disgusting!
P.S. It takes alot to get a driver this upset, believe me, they take alot on a daily basis, so just be grateful for your safe ride!
delivered on December 19, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Raymond
delivers a comment:
Please send your story to Consumerist.com they love this stuff. I would have called 911 personally.
delivered on February 3, 2008 at 4:16 pm