Greyound Canada Introduces New Security Measures - Warning Long

[djbout]

Greyhound introduces security screening of passengers
New measures added following 2-year security study
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 2, 2008 | 8:52 PM ET Comments23Recommend45CBC News
As the holiday travel season ramps up, Greyhound Canada announced it's begun screening passengers at major terminals with hand-held security wands.

The company implemented new security measures Tuesday at its Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg terminals, with other locations to follow starting on Dec. 15.

All luggage must now also be stored under the bus, with exceptions made for essential travel items such as medications, baby formula and wallets, said Abby Wambaugh, a Greyhound spokeswoman from Dallas, Texas.

"This is something that has been at drivers' discretion and now it's mandatory that all luggage be stowed underneath the coach," she told CBC News.

Either security guards or drivers will do the screening with the metal detector wands, she added.

Greyhound is not publicly releasing other security details that are in place.

"If we release them, they would no longer be effective," said Wambaugh.

"We're trying to make this as smooth a transition as possible," she added, acknowledging she is not sure if there will be delays because of the new measures.

The new measures follow a two-year security study, said the company.

"We hope to set an example for other carriers to follow. Yet, the high cost of implementing such a program should not fall squarely on the shoulders of the private sector, so we will continue to advocate federal support for bus security funding," Stuart Kendrick, Greyhound Canada's senior vice-president, said in a statement.

A list of restricted and prohibited items posted on the Greyhound Canada website includes firearms, ammunition, animals, flammable liquids and fruit.

In August, Winnipeg resident Tim McLean was killed on a Greyhound bus west of Portage la Prairie, Man. A fellow passenger, Vince Li, is charged with second-degree murder





Well its a start and I am happy to hear it, but I still don't think I'll be riding Greyhound anytime soon, depending on your destination an airline flight costs the same or less. I know you shouldn't live your life in fear but it's not just me in our household that has ridden the bus, its my children. My DS14 still needs to travel to Alberta to see his father and now he either flies or we drive him. We used to put both kids on the bus when they were younger as "unaccompanied minors" meaning they sat directly behind the bus driver and were not allowed of the bus, if I had younger ones don't think that would be an option I would consider anymore.

There has been other instances of weapons and violence on Greyhounds buses in the past year, one even close to home, Vernon. I don't know what the solution is, but I can't see airport type security at our existing Greyound terminals and I worry that heightened security will raise ticket prices so much that people will not be able to afford to take the bus to destinations where there are no other travel options.

Sorry for this being so long, but I was deeply affected by what happened to Tim McLean last year.

[monkeywrangler71]

There's no way to institute airport style security for buses, but I think stowing luggage and screening for weapons is a good balance between safety and practicality.

Unfortunate that the study took two years, perhaps the tragedy could have been avoided.

[Kaos Kitty]

Greyhound introduces security screening of passengers
New measures added following 2-year security study

All luggage must now also be stored under the bus, with exceptions made for essential travel items such as medications, baby formula and wallets, said Abby Wambaugh, a Greyhound spokeswoman from Dallas, Texas.

A list of restricted and prohibited items posted on the Greyhound Canada website includes firearms, ammunition, animals, flammable liquids and fruit.

I agree that security on the Greyhound buses should be tighter, although I don't believe that they have been looking into it for the past 2 years. I think it's an unfortunate political cover - it really does take a tragedy before anything is done. It's like the school traffic crossing by my house. Parents lobbied for years to get a set of lights put up for pedestrians, and it was only after a little girl was hit by a car and died, that the city put up a set of cross-walk lights. Of course they had been planning to do so all along, and the tragedy was an unfortunate coincidence.

At the same time it is people who don't have a much money who ride the the Greyhound (I have ridden many times) and it can be a long, long trip. My short trips are 3-4 hours, the long ones can be 12-20hrs. To not be able to have anything on the trip except essential medication, baby food and your wallet is ridiculous. I need a book to read, my pillow and a bottle of water, maybe even something to eat. Will I need to cultivate a pallate for baby food? I take the bus to save money, I can't afford to buy my meals at every stop - even if it did stop for more than ten minutes in a 4hr trip. Even then, when would I eat it if I can't take food on the bus?

Feel free to search my carry-on bag before I get on. I'll take off my shoes and walk through an x-ray machine just like airport security. But I can at least take a book, pillow, snacks and my carry-on luggage on an air plane. And the bus isn't an airplane, it can stop mid-trip. Except in very rare and tragic cases - if something is going wrong the bus driver can call the police to meet the bus, stop the bus and have things taken care of.

I too felt shaken after the tragedy with Tim, and his family has my sincerest condolences. It was a terrible tragedy, and I am sure no one wants anything like this to happen again.

But I don't believe all these measures really have to do with passenger safety, it has to do with Greyhound trying to salvage its reputation, and make lots of noise to make people "feel" safe on the buses again. Some security measures are important, until now there has been no security. Just walk on to the bus. I used to joke that airport security was getting so fierce that soon everyone would ride naked, wound up in clear plastic wrap. I sincerely do not wish to ride the bus that way, my wallet in one hand and my medication in the other.

[frugal.lass]

I looked at the Greyhound Canada website but couldn't find anywhere that said that items like fruit would be prohibited on board. Reading material is allowed and things like plastic cutlery are allowed (I'm assuming food would be allowed as well...why let me bring on a plastic knife and fork if I'm not allowed food?).

It could be that they haven't updated the site with their new information but I think the article probably makes the security rules seem tougher than they are. I haven't travelled by train recently but does anyone know if VIA has similar security screening? They didn't the last time I used them...

[homesteadmamma]

Although this will help in some ways, Greyhound stops all along the highway to pick up people and they also stop at smaller towns. From what I understand there won't be security there. So I wonder what will happen in those cases.

[staceyy]

This is why Canada is tightening their security on Greyhound buses:

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/u...nd-bus-canada/

I'd tell the authorities, to do what they had to, I would certainly comply!

[jmac]

I live about 10 minutes from where that happened & trust me, I pass the memorial for him very regularly. With that being said, it's going to be impossible to screen everyone. They stop in every little town. The biggest thing will be the drivers will have to actually open their eyes & do something about stuff that happens. They have a tendency to ignore everything behind them (most of the time, my niece was very appreciative of a driver once). Also another big thing is to NOT let on people who appear intoxicated, quite a few of the incidents after the Tim McLean murder involved intoxicated people. Plain & simple, they don't get on. I actually rarely use the bus as it is very expensive, imo. I usually drive as I have a VW diesel.