On Saturday March 2nd. I rode a Brookshire Tour Bus from Asheville to Raleigh, NC. The bus arrived about 45 minutes late. The delay was caused by a problem with the bus door, we were told.
After boarding the bus, the driver gave a long -winded speech telling us the bus is SAFE and that we would have fun. The driver stressed how safe the bus is multiple times, which caused my red flag antenna to go up. I have never ridden a charter bus where the driver felt compelled to sell the riders on the safety of the bus. As we rolled out of the parking lot, the driver asked if anyone could direct her on the easiest way to get out of the parking lot. Another red flag. After we started down I-40, the driver announced the bus had a toilet, but the toilet didn't work. Another red flag. About 1.5 hours into the trip, the driver abruptly pulled over onto the shoulder of the highway and instructed all passengers to deboard. She said she smelled something burning and the passengers confirmed they smelled it as well. Another red flag. We all stood on the highway while the driver called in to report the problem. I am unclear why she decided the bus was safe for us to reboard as she did not share what instructions came from the Waynesville office, but we were told to reboard and we did. When the driver spoke, we could not hear her in the back as the bus had no microphone to amplify her voice. Another red flag. We arrived in Raleigh an hour behind schedule.
On the return trip to Asheville, NC I was looking for a seat belt to buckle up, but found the seats had no seat belts. Another red flag. I went to Brookshire website where they state the buses have seat belts. I tried to turn on the light above me so I could read and found the reading lights did not work. Another red flag. The bus was hot from sitting in the sun and riders asked the drive to turn on air, the air did not work and the driver could not control the heat, so we were sweating from the hot bus. Another red flag. About 45 minutes from our destination in Asheville, the bus started grinding and jerking and the driver pulled over abruptly to the highway shoulder and the bus engine shut off. Another red flag. Lord save us I thought. We are not going to get home in one piece. Again, the driver called in the bus problem and conferred with someone. We do not know what was said and the driver did not share the content of the conversation. Riders were concerned we were in the dark, on the side of the road and could be hit. They asked about whether the driver could put out flares so the bus would be visible to others on the highway. The bus did not have flares. Another red flag. Some riders called 911 and asked the highway patrol to come and put out flares. One passenger said the driver had the bus blinkers on so other drivers on the highway could see us.
We sat for about 30 minutes and was told the computer that controlled the engine had shut down. About 30 minutes after sitting, the driver started the bus again and pulled onto the highway. We arrived in Asheville, but I would caution anyone about renting Brookshire tour buses to go on interstate trips. It made me wonder who inspects these buses? How does a bus like this one pass inspection? Did this bus somehow evade inspection? I have read horror stories about people being killed on tour buses that should not have been on the road. Brookshire tour buses seems to be pushing their luck, but you don't have to push your luck by riding these buses. To be forewarned is to be fore armed. read more
