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Thursday, August 12, 2004
Marine Denied Seat on Greyhound Bus:
An area Marine says he wasn’t allowed on a Greyhound Bus, despite having his ticket for several weeks.
All PFC Jay Griffin wanted to do was make it to combat training camp on time, he had his ticket in hand and was at the Greyhound Bus Station in Greenville before the bus arrived, but he was not allowed to board the bus. He was dressed in full uniform, and his mother says that may be the reason why he was denied the ride.
It was Griffin ’s first time using Greyhound, so he asked plenty of questions to make sure he was at the right place at the right time. Fifteen minutes before the bus even arrived, he says he was waiting with his bags at the curb. His mother, Carol Holden says when the bus got there, no one attempted to load his camouflage bags. "So I tapped [the baggage loader] and said, 'what about my son's baggage? And he looked at me and said he may not have a seat."
That’s when the bus driver called for all ticket holders.
"So Jay went on around and he went to board the bus and when he did, the driver put his arm across the doorway and said I don't have a seat for you," explains Carol.
Greyhound says, “We do not have reserved seats, seating is on a first come, first serve basis. An advance purchase ticket guarantees a discounted fare, but it does not guarantee a seat.”
But Griffin ’s mother claims the ticket seller said any last minute tickets were clearly marked as “standby,” in red. And other ticket holders would have a seat. "He said the bus driver checked the tickets as they boarded the bus and that he knew the stand-bys were to be held until the regular ticket holders were seated."
According to Carol the clerk gave no explanation other than, "All he said was some of the drivers think they're God."
Carol says, "I don't think the driver intended to let him on from the very beginning."
For its part, Greyhound is doing damage control:
A Greyhound spokesperson says they are not familiar with the “stand-by” tickets used by the Greenville station, but an investigation is underway and Greyhound has zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind.
There could be more to this story than is being reported, and hopefully, the company will determine what circumstances warranted an advance purchasing passenger to be denied a seat. Stay tuned.Labels: Archives_2004
.: posted by
Dave
9:37 AM
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