DALLAS — Passengers aboard a Greyhound bus bound for Dallas said a faulty heater left them freezing cold on their trip from Laredo Sunday night into Monday.
The passengers boarded the bus Sunday in warm temperatures, some wearing shorts and t-shirts, they said. But as the bus made its way north and temperatures across Texas began to plummet, they quickly noticed something was wrong.
“It was just a very miserable ride. Very uncomfortable,” said Mario Arreola, who took videos of his fellow frigid passengers on board. “You see people in the fetal position just trying to stay as warm as possible.”
Arreola said the passengers tried to convince the bus driver to stop so they could get warmer clothes out of their bags in the cargo hold beneath the bus, but he did not.
Eventually, the driver pulled over Monday morning at a gas station near Waco, the passengers said.
“There was enough complaints and he was cold himself and he decided to just go ahead and pull over,” Arreola said.
They decided to take a 100-mile Uber ride from Waco to the Dallas station rather than wait for a replacement bus, Arreola said.
In a statement, Greyhound acknowledged a mechanical failure affecting the heat onboard.
“We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and regret the discomfort it caused to our passengers,” a spokesperson said. “We deeply value our passengers’ feedback and remain committed to delivering a reliable and comfortable travel experience.”
The spokesperson said a replacement bus took people to their destination and the company was sending “goodwill vouchers” to affected passengers.
Arreola said he wants a refund and a reimbursement for the $240 Uber ride.
“A lot of people suffered because of this,” he said.