DENVER (CBS4) – A Greyhound bus bound for Denver made a scheduled stop in Kansas so the driver could rest at a motel, but due to the fact that the next driver who was supposed to take over wasn’t immediately available the passengers on board said they had no idea where the original driver was going or for how long.

Dozens of passengers said they were left stranded on the bus for hours outside the La Quinta motel in Salina while the driver went inside to catch up on some sleep.

The bus pulled into the motel late Tuesday afternoon and passengers initially thought it was going to be a quick stop, but when the driver didn’t come back they called both the bus company and police.

“We haven’t seen the driver. We’re sitting here and sitting here. I had to keep the bus running because we have newborns and children… it’s getting cold,” said one passenger.

Greyhound said the driver had to finish his federally-regulated rest hours.

Greyhound released the following statement about the incident to CBS4 on Thursday:

On Tuesday, Jan. 5, the driver that transported customers to Salina had completed his portion of the trip once they arrived in Salina. That was as far as he was scheduled to travel. He made an announcement to customers that they would have a break, then another driver would continue the schedule to Denver. Each day, this schedule arrives in Salina around 4:20 p.m. and another driver continues the schedule to Denver, which departs at 4:45 p.m. Because the driver that was scheduled to take over the trip from Salina to Denver was completing his mandatory rest hours due to his previous shift ending late, the schedule to Denver departed at 8 p.m.

The original driver that brought the customers to Salina had no knowledge that the customers would be delayed due to there being no driver available at the scheduled departure time. He was notified around 6 p.m. and went back to the location with customers until the other driver arrived.

We are extremely sorry for the customers’ experience. We strive to provide an excellent travel experience for customers. However, we occasionally encounter situations that are beyond our control, and in those instances, we do the best we can to keep customers comfortable and informed until the issue is resolved.