A routine bus trip from New York City to D.C. took a harrowing turn for passengers last night (Monday) when the driver reportedly decided to ditch their intended destination for a journey into the unknown.
As documented in a viral thread on the nascent social media platform Bluesky by user Musicology Duck, a driver on a BestBus route from Penn Station to Union Station and Dupont Circle allegedly sped down a highway and refused to go to Union Station despite pleas from both riders and the bus company’s staff, dropping everyone off at the Vienna Metro station only after the police were called.
“I just woke up from a nap and somehow while I was asleep, everyone on the bus has figured out we are not going to the right place,” Musicology Duck wrote at 8:57 p.m. “they switched drivers at a rest stop and the new driver is telling everyone that they’re the ones on the wrong bus?? he’s refusing to talk to anyone while he’s driving and is now just driving really fast.”
Musicology Duck speculated that they “might end up in Vienna,” but no one seemed to know for sure what was going to happen. Other passengers attempted to talk to the driver and got representatives from BestBus on the phone, who instructed the driver to go to Union Station to no avail.
“The company told him to take us to Union station and he screamed that he doesn’t get paid enough and is refusing,” Musicology Duck wrote at 9:27 p.m.
As the bus neared D.C., the driver reportedly told a passenger that he “has family to go home to and doesn’t have time to stop in DC.” He also repeatedly hung up on the BestBus representatives when riders tried to get him to talk to them.
After some debate over what to do, at least one passenger called the police “but suggested they avoid pulling the bus over bc he’s driving so erratically,” Musicology Duck said.
Shortly before 10 p.m., the driver pulled off the highway and let everyone deboard at the Vienna Metro station, though videos shared by Musicology Duck showed him flipping off passengers as they were collecting their luggage.
“I’m the captain of this ship,” the driver said in one video while closing the luggage compartment.
After everyone was off the bus, the driver drove off, and passengers were ultimately taken to Union Station by a different bus sent by BestBus.
The Fairfax County Police Department confirmed its officers responded to the 9500 block of Virginia Center Blvd at 10:02 p.m. yesterday after receiving “a report of a bus driver acting erratically.”
“Upon arrival, the complainant advised that police assistance was no longer needed and that the bus had left the area,” a police department spokesperson told FFXnow.
A customer support representative for BestBus says the company is currently investigating the “overnight incident” and has compensated the affected passengers with full refunds and a voucher for a future trip:
We are aware of an overnight incident involving one of our drivers on a recent trip. The experience described on social media does not reflect the standards we expect from our team or the service our passengers deserve.
We have launched an internal investigation and are reviewing all available information, including driver conduct, operational procedures, and trip conditions. While that review is underway, we have taken immediate steps to address customer impact. All affected passengers have received full refunds and a credit voucher for a future trip.
We sincerely regret the disruption and poor service experienced by our passengers. We appreciate their patience as we complete our review, and we are committed to taking appropriate action and implementing any necessary improvements to prevent this from happening again.
Serving D.C., Northern Virginia, New York City and Delaware, BestBus counts the Vienna Metro station among its regular local stops, along with a commuter lot in Manassas and the Franconia-Springfield Metro station.
