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DIA and ADAPT Detain the Dog

by T.K. Small

 
Members of Disabled In Action, ADAPT, and the Spinal Cord Injury Support Network blocking a bus as part of a nationwide protest.

As part of a national day of protest against Greyhound Bus Company, the disability community in New York City organized a demonstration at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on August 8th. The local event was planned in New York City by Disabled In Action and ADAPT-New York. The Action at the Bus Terminal at 42nd Street was one of over forty such demonstrations throughout the country. Approximately 30 people turned out to tame the dirty dog, Greyhound!

Greyhound was selected as the target of our protest because they are the leader of the Over The Road Bus industry and have been very successful in lobbying against making these busses accessible to people with mobility impairments. When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, Greyhound extracted from Congress an extra 7 years before they had to comply with the law. More recently, Greyhound was able to sneak a provision into last year’s Highway Bill that created an amendment to the ADA giving them even more time to comply. The issue has become more critical of late since, in the near future, Greyhound will be replacing all their busses with new inaccessible buses that will last about 20 years. This will effectively result in a complete lack of access until well into the 21 Century.

Our demonstration at the Port Authority Bus Terminal began with a unexpected twist. Somehow the police knew exactly where we were gathering and were waiting for our arrival. It was decided that we would disrupt the Greyhound ticket sales on the first floor. Greyhound and the police in turn tried to keep our activities contained. After chanting, cheering, and distributing anti-Greyhound flyers for about an hour, we attempted slip the police surveillance. We tried to make the police believe that we were done with our demonstration and heading home.

Straight from our success in disrupting the ticket sales, the group ventured onto the streets of New York City in search of a vehicle owned by that dirty dog, Greyhound. In no time we found one of these rapid dogs and quickly detained the beast. The bus was spotted by the fearless leader of Disabled In Action, Nadina LaSpina. Without hesitation, Nadina jumped the curb with her wheelchair and stopped the bus. Nadina’s daring act seemed to be short lived. Three cops immediately grabbed her wheelchair and lifted her back onto the sidewalk. Others quickly followed Nadina’s lead and also got in the street to block the bus. Before long there were so many people using wheelchairs surrounding the bus that the police gave up their efforts at returning people to the sidewalk.

Port Authority police can’t figure out which way is up as they try to satisfy the demands of protest leaders Nadina La Spina (President of DIA) and Danny Robert.

Upon realizing that we were serious in our cause, the local officials of Greyhound were summoned to receive our demands. Basically, we just wanted the national demands of ADAPT to be faxed to the headquarters of Greyhound in Dallas, Texas, and that we receive a written acknowledgment of these demands. Geryhound officials complied wirth these simple requests. However, the actual demands from national ADAPT were another matter. ADAPT wants Greyhound to: (1) Stop buying buses without lifts, (2) Write DOT Secretary Slader to say the regs should require all new buses have lifts, (3) have Craig Lentzsch, CEO of Greyhound issue a public apology to the disability community for the sorry excuse for service they have provided for the past 7 plus years, and (4) have Craig Lentzsch meet with ADAPT.

For those who are disappointed that they missed the demonstration, there will be others in the near future. At a similar demonstration in Dallas at the corporate headquarters of Greyhound, Lentzsch categorically dismissed our demands. In short, the battle with Greyhound and other such carriers has just begun. There will definitely be more demonstrations in NYC and around the nation. If you are interested in getting involved with this important struggle contact me directly at: (718) 875-1907 or DIA (718) 261-3737.

Jan. 15, 1997

ADAPT demands lifts from Greyhound

(MEMPHIS Jan. 15) Dawn Russell filed a complaint in Federal Court this freedom day alleging discrimination by Greyhound Bus Lines under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a meeting today between Memphis ADAPT activists and Jeff Bolin, the Terminal Manager, equipment purchased to assist people with disabilities in boarding and disembarking failed in a demonstration.

ADAPT members nationwide were demonstrating their concerns because Greyhound opposes purchasing new buses with lifts that would allow people with mobility impairments to remain in their wheelchairs while traveling. Mr. Bolin offered to demonstate a Scalamobil, a device, acquired by the Memphis terminal after the incedent claimed in the complaint, that was to avoid boarding problems for people with disabilities in the future.

The Scalamobil however, would not fit down the isle of the new Greyhound bus. No seat on the bus was made accessible by the contraption. Furthermore, Jeff Bolin said that he had been trained to use the Scalamobil, but obviously had no exposure to "transfer techniques" which are necessary and required. Mr. Bolin confessed that the Memphis terminal did not have a transfer board, or similar device to accompany the Scalamobil. Greyhound personnel acknowledged that they had no training in its use.

The Terminal Manager gave his verbal support for the demands of ADAPT and promise to relay the concerns of the himself and Memphians to Craig Lentzsch, the CEO of Greyhound. "This thing is just a bandaid," said ADAPT activist Syndy Sharp, about the Scalamobil. "They bought it to avoid putting lifts on buses."

The nationwide demonstration is the second national appeal to Greyhound. In August 1997, ADAPT disability activists nationwide protested in over 44 cities, shutting down service in Memphis, Dallas Texas (Greyhound corporate headquarters), the New York Port Authority, Washington DC, and in many locations throughout the nation.

Lifts on over-the-road buses are a practical and affordable accommodation according to the Office of Technical Assessment. Accessible technology adds only 1% to the operating cost for the life of a vehicle, yet Greyhound consistently opposes lifts.

Activists hope to end the injustice and indignity of being carried by the driver and isolated from their wheelchair. A survey in 35 cities of Greyhound's ability to comply with the ADA interim regulations, that comprise the rules in effect until the buses have lifts, has resulted in a morass of lawsuits, including the complaint filed in Federal Court today. The predicament has resulted in a request from Department of Transportation Secretary, Rodney Slater, that Greyhound purchase accessible buses and rededicate themselves to complying with the interim regulations.

Ms. Russell along with a few ADAPT members had come to the Greyhound terminal to serve the manager here in Memphis with a copy of the Federal complaint. They asked that the manager write Greyhound CEO Craig Lentzsch and mirror Secretary Slater's request that Greyhound only purchase accessible buses and train personnel in ADA interim regulations.

An overview of the Survey with the conclusion.

ADAPT of Texas: (512) 442-0252

• The Memphis Center for Independent Living
  163 North Angelus,
  Memphis TN 38104
  (901) 726-6404 v/tty (901) 726-6521 fax

  ---

Dear Mr. Craig LENTZSCH!

As we have been informed about the incident which happened to two of our sisters in ISLAM, we are much worried. These ladies beeing kept of entering the bus (HOUCK ARIZONA - FLAGSTAFF), having paid tickets with them and being told: "If you have a problem, tell it Farrakhan"

As Europeans we always looked since centuries upon the US as a nation, which upholds the rights of any human individual and counts it worthy to be defended.

So we expect this incident was the "downfall" of one of your personnel and do not expect this behavior is a part of your "business policy".

Nevertheless we ask you kindly to:

have an investigation of this incident, to send an written apology to the Muslim passenger and her mother.
Compensation for the cost of her trip, any property that was lost and for the humiliation and inconvenience this incident caused.
A clarification of Greyhound's non-discrimination policy distributed to all employees and
Religious sensitivity training in order to prevent these types of incidents from occurring in the future.

Wishing that "Greyhound" will still be successfull in the US almost as an "institution"

We remain with best regards

Michael Muhammad HANEL
Chairman of official Islamic Community LINZ
Upperaustria and Salzburg
Linz, 19.01.2000
 

January 19, 1999

Council on American-Islamic Relations
1050 17th Street, N.W., Suite 490
Washington, D.C. 20036

Dear CAIR members:

I want to apologize for the event described in your letter on January 7, 2000. We are conducting a full investigation and will follow up with appropriate action based on our findings.

Greyhound Lines does not tolerate any form of harassment or lack of sensitivity toward our passengers. I am personally involved in the development of our driver training materials and curriculum. Our program is designed so that our employees understand their role in delivering superior customer service.

To ensure employees understand our harassment policy, we require that every employee sign the statement.

Ms. Sajjad and Ms. Scott's claim for lost articles is being processed. This incident is of great concern to Greyhound, and I appreciate you bringing this to my attention.
 

Sincerely,

John Taylor, Vice President, Driver Operations, Greyhound Lines, Inc. 
 

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GREYHOUND APOLOGIZES TO MUSLIM PASSENGER
Driver kept woman and her mother from boarding bus, said "tell it to Farrakhan"

(WASHINGTON, DC - 1/19/2000) - Alhamdulillah, Greyhound Lines Inc., North America's largest bus company, today apologized to a Muslim passenger who said she and her mother were mistreated because of their religion and race. That action came following expressions of concern by hundreds of American Muslims who contacted Greyhound.

Earlier this week, CAIR called on Greyhound to make the apology and to compensate the women for losses resulting from the recent incident in Arizona.

In a letter to CAIR, Greyhound Vice President of Driver Operations John Taylor wrote: "I want to apologize for the event described in your letter on January 7, 2000...Greyhound Lines does not tolerate any form of harassment or lack of sensitivity toward our passengers...This incident is of great concern to Greyhound."

According to the Muslim passenger, her Greyhound bus made a stop in Houck, Ariz. The bus driver allegedly told passengers to return to the bus by 12:50 p.m. The woman, along with her 70-year-old mother and the rest of the passengers, left the bus to do some brief shopping. When she returned at 12:42 p.m., station attendants informed her that her bus already left. She caught another bus headed to Flagstaff, Ariz.

When the Muslim passenger got to Flagstaff, she noticed that her original bus was in the station. She says she then inquired as to why she and her mother had been left behind. The bus driver allegedly responded: "I was ready to go." She then attempted to board the original bus but was told that she was not allowed back on. No reason was given.

When the passenger protested this treatment, the bus driver allegedly said: "If you have a problem, tell it to Farrakhan." (Referring to controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.) The passenger and her mother are African-American Muslims who wear religiously-mandated headscarves. They have no affiliation with the Nation of Islam.

"This proves once again that when Muslims unite to defend themselves and their faith, they can have a positive impact," said CAIR Board Chairman Omar Ahmad. Ahmad also thanked all those who contacted Greyhound.

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Greyhound Lines Inc. Seeks Funds to Avoid Collapse, NYT Says

Bloomberg News

     New York -- Greyhound Lines Inc., the largest U.S. bus company, said that unless it found new funding it would only be able to continue operating for another two or three months, the New York Times reported, citing Greyhound's chief executive, Craig Lentzsch.
     Greyhound filed a report with the Securities and Exchange Commission saying that its parent company, Canada's Laidlaw Inc, couldn't provide financial backing any longer to cover Greyhound's $176.1 million in long-term debt.
     Laidlaw has authorized Greyhound to raise money from the capital markets, although the bus company warned that even if it found new lenders there's no guarantee they will be able to raise enough money. Lenzsch was optimistic and said that he would seek a revolving-credit facility from sources of finance used before Laidlaw acquired the company 18 months ago, the newspaper said.
     Greyhound, which carries about 25 million passengers each year, increased its sales by over 100 percent last year and provides the only nationwide bus service in America, servicing 3,700 destinations, the New York Times said.

December 21, 2000 Norfolk Greyhound Terminal re-opens after manhole fire By STAFF REPORT © 2000, The Virginian-Pilot NORFOLK -- Buses were back at Greyhound's downtown terminal Wednesday after an underground fire forced them to operate from a nearby fast food restaurant Tuesday night. Power was cut to the terminal and a small building next door when a short caused a fire in an underground cable, sending flames shooting from a manhole at Granby Street and Brambleton Avenue. The blaze also halted traffic on several streets surrounding the fire about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Power that was cut from the traffic light at Brambleton and Monticello avenues was expected to be restored by late Wednesday, officials said. The blaze was brought under control in about two hours by firefighters who poured chemicals into the manhole. Power crews replaced about 1,000 feet of cable and had all power restored by 1 p.m. Wednesday, officials said. Top Of Page Bottom Of Page

Man killed sneaking into U.S. under bus BUFFALO, N.Y. (CP) - A Zimbabwean man who tried to sneak into the United States by hiding under a bus was crushed to death only hours after he had tried to smuggle a friend across the border. Police found a passport on the man identifying him as Andrew Mazanembi, 36. He had apparently been living and working in the United States on a valid visa. But he was barred from re-entering the country after a failed smuggling attempt at the Windsor, Ont.-Detroit border Tuesday. Later that day, the driver of a 54-passenger Greyhound bus found a body tangled in the bus's undercarriage during a routine customs inspection on the American side of the Peace Bridge near Fort Erie, Ont. RCMP Const. Rick Bourdon said the driver checked under the bus after hearing a ''thump'' and experiencing mechanical problems. It's believed Mazanembi had been hiding in a small maintenance compartment near the engine in the rear of the bus and that his clothing became entangled in the drive shaft when he tried to crawl out. ''It looks like a desperate attempt to get back into the United States,'' Bourdon said. Bourdon said Mazanembi entered Canada from the United States a few days earlier to visit Zimbabwean friends in Windsor. He had a visa that allowed him to do business in the United States. The visa was valid until 2005. It was revoked and he was barred from re-entering the country when he was caught trying to smuggle a Zimbabwean back into the United States at Detroit. Bourdon believes Mazanembi then drove to Niagara Falls, Ont., where he bought a bus ticket to Buffalo. His 1993 Dodge, which has Minnesota plates, was found at the bus station Wednesday. Bourdon said Mazanembi never got on the bus, which was carrying eight passengers when it reached Buffalo. Police assume he sneaked into the maintenance compartment while the bus was stopped at the terminal in Niagara Falls. Riga said it took about two hours to extricate the body. The compartment, which can be entered through a door next to the baggage compartment, is barely big enough to hold one person. The area is fairly warm because it's near the engine. It's unlikely the man would have died of hypothermia during the ride from Niagara Falls. An autopsy was conducted Wednesday. Roger Pike, vice-president of courier express for Greyhound, said he had never heard of anybody trying to stow away under a bus in his 12 years with the company. ''This is the most bizarre thing I've ever heard,'' he said. Wednesday January 3, 05:57 AM A fire crew walks away from a Greyhound bus at the U.S. customs inspection station, between Buffalo and Fort Erie, Ont. on Tuesday night Jan. 2, 2001 after the bus driver reported hearing a strange noise from the bus as he crossed the bridge. Police discovered the body of a 36 year old Zimbabwe man, believed to be a stowaway, wrapped around the axle of the bus. (AP Photo/Niagara Falls Review, Harry Rosettani)   Published Thursday, January 4, 2001 Stolen Greyhound bus reported in Atlanta Early Wednesday, a thief put a new twist on the Greyhound slogan, "Leave the driving to us." Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said someone stole a Greyhound bus just before 5 a.m. after the driver walked inside the terminal at 601 W. Trade St. The bus had been left idling, waiting to be serviced on a company parking lot near Fourth Street uptown, police said. The passengers had already gotten off the 47-seat bus and taken their luggage, police said. The 40-foot bus, worth about $250,000, was found abandoned and undamaged in downtown Atlanta about 4 p.m., Greyhound officials said. Police in Charlotte and Atlanta did not confirm the recovery late Wednesday. Greyhound officials were relieved. "I'm glad it's over," said Tony Tolson, manager of the Greyhound terminal in Charlotte. "It has been a long day." The bus left New York City about 3 p.m. Tuesday. Charlotte was its final destination. Greyhound officials said it probably had not been refueled before the theft. Despite consistently low crime in uptown compared with other areas of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, some business and community leaders say the bus terminal has too often been the site of crime. Wednesday's theft was rare because of the size of the stolen vehicle, but it shared a common thread among recent Charlotte-Mecklenburg vehicle thefts. "As the weather gets colder, more and more people leave their cars running," said Marty Shumate, an auto theft investigator. "The thieves know that, and are taking advantage." Mike Dial, a regional manager with Greyhound Lines Inc., said drivers are instructed to leave the engines running. "The diesel fuel tends to gel when it gets cold, so we tell the drivers to leave them idling until they get serviced," Dial said. Police said more than half of the auto thefts over the past two years involved vehicles in which the engine was left running. It was not clear late Wednesday whether the person who took the bus was alone. Police said they had no way of immediately finding the bus, because like the rest of the company's fleet, it was not equipped with a tracking device. An employee told police the bus left through a Fourth Street parking lot exit but was not certain on its direction. In any direction, a novice would find it difficult to drive the bus, Dial said. "In my opinion, it would have to have been someone with experience driving a large vehicle," he said. "But anything can happen these days." Two armed security guards, one of them an off-duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer, were at the terminal when the theft occurred, Greyhound officials said. The guards periodically patrol the grounds, including the parking lot behind the building, officials said. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police alerted area law enforcement agencies, asking them to look out for Greyhound Bus No. 2591. Police say they are working with Greyhound officials to address crime, many of them armed robberies and assaults, at the terminal. "We're aware that the terminal has been a problem," said Mark Rowland, a patrol officer in the service area responsible for most of uptown. "It's been that way for years, and we're not going to solve it overnight." Police said off-duty officers have been working, generally during night hours, at the terminal for the past two months. Inside City officials say the bus stealing points to bigger problems with crime around the Greyhound station and the company hasn't done enough about it. 4B "We're aware that the terminal has been a problem. It's been that way for years, and we're not going to solve it overnight." Mark Rowland a patrol officer in the service area responsible for most of uptown" ONTARIO / NIAGARA    IMMIGRATION Stowaway's death shows refugees' desperation By LOU MICHEL News Staff Reporter 1/4/01 Andrew Mazanembi was willing to take risks to come to the United States. Like a number of people in recent years, he wound up paying with his life. The 36-year-old native of Zimbabwe was crushed by a drive shaft beneath the rear undercarriage of a Greyhound bus Tuesday night, according to Buffalo homicide investigators. Mazanembi is the seventh person to die in recent years while trying to sneak into this country from Canada. He had been hiding in a compartment that provides access to the engine at the back of the bus, "and when the bus stopped, he apparently was afraid someone would find him," said Capt. Joseph Riga, chief of the Homicide Bureau. Riga says he believes Mazanembi crawled deeper into the engine area to avoid detection while the bus was parked at the Peace Bridge. "When the bus started to move, the drive shaft began to rotate and he became entangled under the bus," Riga said. The bus driver stopped the vehicle when he heard a thumping sound. Mazanembi's body was discovered a short while later at about 7:30 p.m. Officials at the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service say they are trying to determine whether the man acted on his own or was being assisted by smugglers. "Saying that this was a desperate act is an understatement," said Donald R. Palacios, assistant chief of the U.S. Border Patrol's Buffalo Section. "In my 20 years on the border here, I have never seen anything like this." Authorities speculated that Mazanembi hid in the rear compartment when the bus stopped near the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ont., at about 7 p.m. Police speculated he might have thought the vehicle would drive over the bridge to Niagara Falls, N.Y. The bus, however, drove to Fort Erie, Ont., and crossed the Peace Bridge into the United States. It took more than two hours Wednesday to remove Mazanembi's remains from the undercarriage of the bus. A Zimbabwean passport and an Indiana driver's license provided enough clues to tentatively identify the stowaway, authorities said. Little else is known about him other than that he was turned away when he tried to enter the United States at a Detroit border crossing Monday. Police say they have been unable to reach the man's relatives. There have been three other instances since 1988 in which people died while trying to enter the United States at Buffalo or Niagara Falls. In December of that year, four people perished when their rubber raft sank in the lower Niagara River near Lewiston. In 1998, a South African woman accidentally smothered her infant son while they were hiding in the trunk of a car crossing the Rainbow Bridge. Most recently, a 23-year-old Peruvian woman died after her leg was severed by the wheels of a freight train in February 1999 near the Whirlpool-Rapids Bridge in Niagara Falls. In separate incidents at that same location last fall, a woman's foot was severed and a man broke his back during attempts to enter the U.S. illegally. The latest death has become part of an all-too-common scenario involving foreigners who are desperate to enter this country, according to authorities and a local member of the clergy who works with refugees. "Every time a tragedy like this occurs, all of us who are fortunate to live in America should stop and realize how lucky we are," said U.S. Attorney Denise E. O'Donnell. "Many others would give anything to have the freedom and opportunity we have." The recent fatality comes at a time when Canadian immigration authorities have reported that refugee claims at its four Niagara Frontier border crossings have quadrupled since 1998, going from 1,536 between April 1998 and April 1999 to 5,857 in 2000. "This has all the markings of one of a series of tragic events of people seeking not just a better life in this country, but safety and freedom," said the Rev. John Long, executive director of Vive La Casa refugee center on Buffalo's East Side. "We don't know a lot about conditions in Zimbabwe, but we do know there are human rights violations in much of Africa." Wednesday, January 3, 2001 Stranded Greyhound passengers find comfort with Salvation Army Folks at the Salvation Army shelter in Abilene have been putting in 18-hour workdays since Christmas Day. Today promises to be no different. With 194 stranded Greyhound passengers to feed and house, Salvation Army volunteers have been pushing themselves to ensure the comfort of those whose holiday plans went awry with the weather. Shortly after midnight Monday, Greyhound Bus officials in Abilene contacted Roy Davis, director of operations for the Salvation Army, with news of 54 stranded passengers in need of shelter. Another 55 arrived mid-morning Tuesday, for a total of 109. Greyhound officials said they hope driving conditions will allow them to resume routes out of Abilene by this afternoon. Earlier, an ice storm that froze most of the Big Country in its tracks Christmas night left 49 stranded Greyhound passengers seeking a warm place to sleep. Reluctant guests at the shelter, 1726 Butternut St., stayed two nights and most of three days before roads cleared. On New Year’s Eve, Greyhound officials called the Salvation Army to ask for shelter for 86 stranded passengers. They stayed until about 1:30 p.m. Monday, Davis said. In the meantime, local Salvation Army officials and volunteers are scrambling to meet the needs of these road-weary travelers. Meals were being served in shifts to accommodate the numbers. The Salvation Army dining area normally seats about 35 people. With more than 100 plates to serve at each mealtime, diners were ushered to tables in shifts, with most meals taking about two hours to completely serve. Cots were set up in the shelter’s gym, offices and apartments. Almost every available inch of floor space is covered in cots. Shelter employees brought dominoes and playing cards, set up television sets and generally tried to help the stranded folks pass the time as best they could. The Salvation Army is footing a substantial bill to care for the travelers. “It’s costing several thousand dollars in food and supplies,” Davis said. He added that some of the passengers had become separated from their luggage and the Salvation Army thrift store was being tapped for clothes. Stranded travelers made use of the Salvation Army’s laundry facilities and were allowed to place calls to locations around the country on the shelter’s phone lines, he said. But he noted financial concerns are never foremost in his mind when dealing with emergencies. “We’re just going to meet the need, whatever it is,” Davis said. “The main thing is to keep the (stranded travelers’) stress level down and their morale up. You can’t place a cost on morale.” An additional 85 Greyhound passengers had to seek shelter in a city facility because of crowding at the Salvation Army. Those folks bedded down at the Abilene Civic Center and served food at the Greyhound terminal across the street, said Jo Ann Olisky, assistant terminal manager in Abilene. Dyess Air Force Base sent 100 cots and blankets to the Civic Center for the stalled bus riders. A few of the stranded passengers opted to go to hotels at their own expense, she said. Those travelers got a special discounted rate for their rooms. The rate is the same as for Greyhound bus drivers who are stranded, although Greyhound pays for the drivers’ rooms, Olisky said. The Quality Inn on Pine Street offers rooms to stranded Greyhound passengers and drivers for $42 per night. Shyann Salazar was among the 54 Greyhound passengers stranded in Abilene overnight Monday. Salazar, who lives in Dallas, was traveling to Phoenix, when what was supposed to be a 15-minute stop in Abilene stretched to an overnight stay with the possibility of more delays ahead. “I know that’s a lot of people to put up in a motel,” she said. “But a room for me and my daughter would have been nice. “We didn’t bring anything for her to do to stay busy,” Salazar said of her 10-year-old daughter. Olisky said it is standard practice in the transportation industry not to pay for hotel rooms for passengers stranded because of bad weather. A spokeswoman for Continental Airlines, which operates Continental Express flights at the Abilene Regional Airport, agreed. “If a delay is caused by inclement weather, something outside our control, we don’t put them up in hotels,” Continental spokeswoman Julie Gardner said. “If a delay is caused by our operation, we pay for the hotel.” Nancy Bass, Salvation Army emergency preparedness coordinator for the state of Texas, said that while the number of requests from Greyhound in the past week has been unusual, the bus line is not taking advantage of the Salvation Army. “Bus lines send their people off anticipating they will get there about the scheduled time,” she said. “In my opinion, these people were sent off on their merry way and ran into conditions that necessitated a shelter.” Salvation Army officials noted that Greyhound makes a donation to their organization to help offset the cost of housing stranded travelers. Greyhound and Salvation Army officials declined to say how much the bus line donated to the charitable agency. Both organizations said there is no set amount. “The donation is based on the amount of help,” Olisky said. “If we get a little help, it (the donation) is a little. If they give a lot of help, it’s a lot. This is the third time around and I’d say they (the Salvation Army) helped a heck of a lot. I don’t know what we would have done without their help.” On his way home to El Paso after visiting his wife and son in Dallas, Martin Campos wondered why the bus company put him up in a community shelter instead of a hotel. Still, he said, the Salvation Army shelter was better than waiting on the bus for days. “You just deal with it as it comes,” Campos said. “It’s better than being out in the cold.”

Greyhound Internet

Greyhound Pioneer Celebrates 93 Years

	National coach company, Greyhound Pioneer Australia is celebrating its 93rd Birthday during May and June and the Company is hosting a number of events to allow its agents and passengers to join in the celebration. Throughout May and June, Greyhound Pioneer is offering passengers the chance to save up to 50 % off the cost of full fare travel, on selected seats in the network. Birthday sale seats are available for travel up to the 31st of June with the usual conditions applying. Agents selling Birthday sale seats may also have an extra reason to party with the Company hosting a special competition. "Agents who sell 5 Birthday Sale seats and send the ticket numbers through to us will go into the draw to win a range of prizes like a coffee set for their office, or a hands free phone and answering machine" said Greyhound Pioneer Australia’s National Public Relations Manager, Miss Pita Norrris. "We will be randomly drawing winners in May and June and agents may enter as many times as they like" she said. Beginning operation in 1905 as a one car touring company, the all-Australian organisation now runs the country’s only national coach services with a fleet of over 110 luxury air-conditioned coaches travelling over 33 million kilometres every year. Recently emerging from corporate restructuring, the Company has been operating under a more efficient structure for the past six months and expects to announce a maiden net profit of $1.3 million in the July accounting period. Anyone wishing to find out more about Greyhound Pioneer’s Birthday promotions should contact the Company on: (07) 3258-1635. For further information contact Trudi Browne Communications Assistant Greyhound Pioneer Australia Ph: (07) 3258 1635
	Disclaimer © 1998 GREYHOUND PIONEER AUSTRALIA LIMITED.

Woman sues Greyhound Bus Lines allegedly disability violations

Rose Marie Erhardt filed the lawsuit after traveling to the East Coast from Cheyenne to visit her ailing grandfather in March 1999.

According to the lawsuit, she contacted the bus company ahead of time to make sure her disability would be accommodated. Instead, bus employees allegedly ignored her disability, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

She was forced to carry her own luggage and stand in long lines to board buses and suffered from "negligent and abusive" conduct by employees throughout the trip, the lawsuit said.

Erhardt has a serious back injury that required fusion surgery in 1998, the lawsuit said. She also has several other medical problems.

Greyhound spokeswoman Kristin Parsley said the Dallas-based company has a strong track record in helping disabled passengers.

Police: Bus carried drugs worth $250,000

BC-WY-BRF--Greyhound Drugs,125

msgho

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A Greyhound bus headed from Sacramento, Calif., to Waterloo, Iowa, carried a suitcase containing 28 pounds of marijuana and 2 kilograms of cocaine, according to police.

A drug-sniffing dog alerted police to the luggage compartment during a search of the city's bus terminal Friday, Lt. Bill Stanford said.

Detectives detained the suitcase and obtained a search warrant.

Tuesday, Cheyenne police were working with their counterparts in Sacramento and Waterloo to find out who sent and who was supposed to receive the drugs, which had a street value of more than $250,000

No arrest had been made as of Tuesday evening.