This company was truly awful, and very questionable. They were subcontracted by U.S. Coachways to do our transportation from Grand Rapids to Washington D.C.
Buses were to leave Grand Rapids at 5:00pm. However, we were informed at approximately 5:00pm that the second bus we reserved had serious mechanical issues, and would not be driveable. We were informed by one of the drivers that the company had been aware of this earlier in the day, and that the drivers had been told the issue was fixed. However, upon inspection by the drivers, it was clear the bus should not be driven. After considerable back and forth with the drivers and their company, we were given the option of a 36 passenger mini-bus for the second vehicle, or no vehicle would be available for the rest of our passengers. We accepted the 36 passenger option as we were already quite late and in danger of missing a significant part of the event we were traveling to attend, and did not find it acceptable to tell dozens of people that they could not make this trip due to the incompetence of the bus company. This 36 passenger mini bus does not contain a restroom and had to make numerous stops along the route, further delaying our trip and causing our members significant discomfort. That is not what we paid your company for.
The buses did not leave Grand Rapids for the 1 hour drive to Kalamazoo until after 6:00pm. Buses were scheduled to leave Kalamazoo at 5:30pm, and did not leave until after 7pm.
The buses required our passengers to pay tolls on the way, saying that the bus company was not responsible for the cost.
The bus drivers informed our passengers early the next morning after driving through the night that they would not be able to complete the trip to Washington D.C., due to federal drive time regulations, and that they would need to stop and take 8 hours minimum rest. They did not offer any solution as to how the passengers would be taken to Washington. The drivers planned to stop and rest in Breezewood, PA.
I was contacted early in the morning by distraught staff of our organization asking what to do and sharing that they had been informed that the trip would, for all intents and purposes, cease in one hour, and there was no plan in place for how they would arrive at their destination. In addition, the group was running even later due to the fact that the 36 passenger bus had no restroom and additional stops were required to allow restroom use.
After working for 2 hours with U.S. Coachways, we were informed at approximately 8am that two different buses from another company would be picking up our passengers at the Breezewood exit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The buses didn't arrive til 11. Our entire group of 77 people missed the whole event they were traveling to attend. read more