RICHMOND, Va. -- Dozens of families were stranded for hours at the Greyhound station in Richmond on Friday after what was supposed to be a quick stop turned into a 7 to 12 hour detour.
Some passengers waited for eight hours before their bus finally left for New York while multiple buses were parked at the Boulevard station.
Inside the Richmond Greyhound station.
“Around 9:30 they made an announcement that we were waiting on a driver,” Sarah Sosa said.
Then, around 1 p.m., CBS 6 cameras were rolling when riders thought they were finally heading home to New York and New Jersey only to find out there still weren`t any drivers in sight and there were no northbound buses leaving anytime soon.
“All these buses are sitting out here with nobody to drive them,” said Sabberr White, who was truing to return home to New Jersey.
Some passengers said they planned to fly out of JFK later today, and will now be missing their flights.
However, the problem may not just be at a local level, as one passenger said he waited nine hours in New York.
Passengers wait in line at the Richmond Greyhound station terminal in Richmond
Passengers were left with destroyed plans, a lot of questions and very few answers.
“A lot of us have been here since 5 o`clock and they keep telling us they can't find a driver,” White said.
Greyhound officials confirmed some buses bound for New York and Philadelphia were delayed because drivers were not available.
"Because safety is the cornerstone of our business, if a driver is ill or feels as though they can’t safely operate the bus for any reason, another driver will be assigned to that schedule. If another driver isn’t immediately available, customers will be placed on the next bus headed towards their destination," Greyhound Senior Communications Specialist Lanesha Gipson said. "This is one of our busiest times of the year, and we do our best to accommodate the increase in demand during the holiday season with the resources we have available. Many customers that were delayed have been put on other buses, and are currently on their way to their destinations. We are working diligently to get all customers back on the road as soon as possible."
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