NEW YORK – A Greyhound bus ride into New York City on Friday turned into a horror show for passengers suddenly swarmed by an invasion of cockroaches that forced the driver to pull over and evacuate the vehicle.

Cockroaches began emerging about 15 minutes after the bus departed from Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Friday morning, a Greyhound spokesman said.

The driver soon pulled over and the 48 passengers scuttled off the infested bus to wait for a replacement vehicle.

Cell phone photos showing armies of cockroaches scampering over the seats and floor were posted by local media outlets, supplied by passengers on the bus.

“We at Greyhound apologize for this inconvenience and have spoken with each passenger regarding this incident,” Tim Stokes, a spokesman for a Greyhound, a unit of Scotland-based FirstGroup Plc, said in a statement.

“Currently, our team is investigating the situation and working to determine its cause,” Stokes said.

The company said it had refunded the passengers’ fares and that they arrived without further incident in New York City in the afternoon.