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July 24, 2006
Stephen E. Gorman
President and Chief Executive Officer
Greyhound Lines, Inc.
P.O. Box 660362
Dallas, TX 75266-0362
Dear Mr. Gorman,
I am writing to you in regards to a series of incidents that occurred on Greyhound bus 2850, operated by driver Richard Oliver on Sunday, July 23, 2006.
The trip started off innocently enough, and I mistakenly thought that the trip would go smoothly, even thinking that our driver had a good sense of humor when he was joking with people in line at Port Authority in New York City. He even made me smile with a funny analogy about General MacArthur. This light mood on the bus soon changed.
Mr. Oliver gave the customary speech about turning our phones to vibrate, and then told us that if any of our phones rang during the trip, that he hoped we were wearing comfortable shoes, as we’d be walking to Boston. I thought that this statement was in jest, but I couldn’t be more wrong.
Someone’s phone chirped about five minutes later, it sounded as though they had received a text message. He reiterated that if it happened again, that person would be walking to Boston. Well, it did happen again, and while we were in line at the toll booth to leave the city (still on the highway, mind you), he stopped the bus, got up and walked down the aisle trying to find the ‘perpetrator.’
As he was walking back up the aisle to his seat, a black man with dreadlocks appeared to reach to get something from his friend across the aisle, and accidentally brushed Mr. Oliver’s back. Mr. Oliver then confronted the man, telling him that as soon as we were through the toll gate and across the bridge he was going to pull off the highway, kick him off the bus, and call the police to have him arrested because Mr. Oliver felt he had been ‘assaulted.’ At this point, the other passengers began to protest, especially the twenty or so of us who had witnessed the incident. We were getting into Boston late as it was, and many of us had to work in the morning.
Mr. Oliver kept to his word, and we pulled off the highway around 10pm in the Bronx. We then waited approximately 45 minutes for the police to arrive to arrest the man who “struck” Mr. Oliver (apparently there are more pressing matters in the Bronx at that time of night than a bus driver being tapped on the back). I patiently tried talking to Mr. Oliver 3-4 times when we parked on the side of the street outside AutoZone, but he told me that if I kept coming up to him, I would be kicked off the bus as well.
When the police arrived (two squad cars and five officers), the other passengers and I told them what had happened. None of the passengers corroborated the bus driver’s story that he had been ‘assaulted,’ but since Greyhound is a private business, Mr. Oliver was able to kick off the bus whoever he pleased. The officers were visibly upset that they had been pulled off of other calls, likely involving more serious matters than what I have described above, and chastised Mr. Oliver for wasting their time. You will find a record of their account of the incident in a report filed by the Bronx Police Department.
To make up for the hour lost while on the side of the road waiting for the police arrived, Mr. Oliver then proceeded to speed back to Boston (approximate speed unknown, but we passed every other car on the road in a 70 person, fully-loaded bus), to arrive only twenty minutes late, at 1:50 am this morning. In my opinion, with Mr. Oliver’s state of mind, coupled with the speed at which he drove, we were very lucky to make the rest of the trip without a fatal crash.
I do not know what actions Greyhound typically takes against employees who are racist, have very little respect for their passengers, make poor decisions with regards to the severity of incidents, and endanger every passenger on the bus by their use of excessive speed. However, to prevent your company from finding yourself in court in the future as a result of a lawsuit as a result of Mr. Oliver’s actions, I would suggest terminating his employment. With Mr. Oliver still on your payroll, you are bound to find yourself at the receiving end of a multi-million dollar discrimination settlement. Greyhound Bus Lines is very, very lucky that the gentleman who was kicked off the bus was Jamaican, and unlikely to press charges. Mr. Oliver is clearly unstable (though he may put on a front when questioned by your company about this incident), and he put all of our lives at risk. I will be very surprised if I am the only passenger on this bus who contacts you directly regarding Mr. Oliver’s egregious behavior.
I have ridden this bus line between New York and Boston approximately 20 times in recent years, and have never had an incident with any of your other drivers. They are, on the whole, courteous, engaging, safe drivers, and above all, sane. Needless to say, I will never be riding Greyhound again.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this incident. I will be unavailable from 7/30/06 – 8/7/06, but very willing to speak with anyone before and after those dates.
Sincerely yours,
Tim Woodall
626 President Street, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY
857-719-3448
Enclosures: Greyhound Loading List, ticket stub
CC: Jack W. Haugsland, EVP & COO
Mark E. Southerst, SVP, General Counsel and Secretary
Ted F. Burk, VP Operations
Harry A. Clark Jr., VP Human Resources
Alex Guariento, Senior Director, Safety and Security
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- When I debarked the bus at 1:50am this morning, I told the bus driver the following:
"Sir, you are a racist, despicable, intolerant human being, who has no capacity for dealing with people. I wish you a long and lonely life."
He thanked me...
