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Greyhound passengers issued refunds after being stranded in Steamboat Springs

Teresa Ristow
A traffic camera on Rabbit Ears Pass shows what travel conditions looked like on Sunday, Jan. 8.
Courtesy Photo

— A Greyhound spokesperson said the company has issued refunds and personally apologized to passengers who were stranded in Steamboat Springs for two nights in early January.

“Our regional VP contacted each customer personally to apologize about the experience and verify their information to issue the refund,” said Lanesha Gipson, a Greyhound corporate spokesperson.

Customers were stranded in Steamboat Springs Thursday, Jan. 5 after a bus traveling from Salt Lake City toward Denver experienced a mechanical problem related to a winter storm passing over the area.



Passengers were split up and placed in hotel rooms Thursday night, but given no information about what would happen next, according to passenger Curtis Bouthton, who was traveling from Portland, Oregon, to Indiana with his girlfriend when the bus stopped in Steamboat.

“We were lied to over and over again and left stranded,” he said.



The group of about 40 passengers was moved to the Steamboat Springs Community Center on Friday, Jan. 6, where the American Red Cross provided blankets and cots to the passengers, many of whom were separated from their luggage.

The Steamboat Springs Police Department was called to mediate disagreements between agitated customers, and some passengers were also taken to Yampa Valley Medical Center for medical care.

On Saturday, Jan. 7, the group was taken by regional transit bus to Craig, where they waited another four hours before a bus arrived to bring the passengers to Denver.

Bouthton said that he spent Saturday night in Craig willingly and resumed his travel the following day. In total, Bouthton’s 2 1/2 day trip to Indiana was extended to seven days, due to the Steamboat Springs stop and several other delays.

After arriving home, Bouthton said he asked Greyhound for a refund for the $423 he spent on tickets for he and his girlfriend but was told he could have either $200 cash or a $250 Greyhound voucher to ride Greyhound in the future.

“That’s not happening,” he said.

Bouthton said he hadn’t received a personal apology either.

On Wednesday afternoon, shortly after a Greyhound spokesperson was contacted by Steamboat Today inquiring about whether customers would receive refunds, Bouthton was contacted by the company and issued a full refund for his trip.

On greyhound.com, a policy on ticket refunds states that customers should not expect refunds because a bus is late or an arrival or departure time changes because of weather, traffic or mechanical problems.

However, because of the unusual delay passengers faced in Steamboat Springs, Gipson said the company decided to issue refunds.

“Because this incident was a rare circumstance that was beyond our control, we went above and beyond to try to rectify the situation,” Gipson said.

To reach Teresa Ristow, call 970-871-4206, email tristow@SteamboatToday.com or follow her on Twitter @TeresaRistow


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