Passengers take over Greyhound bus to stop drowsy driver

Derek Hall | The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX — Passengers of a Greyhound bus bound from Phoenix to Dallas took matters into their own hands after witnessing the driver falling asleep during the trip, according to multiple reports.

The company, while not providing details, did confirm the incident and said the driver had been removed from service.

Passenger Jasmine McClellan said she recorded video of the incident and described it as "one of the worst experiences I’ve dealt with."

"By morning, we politely asked her to pull over around four or more times," McClellan told The Arizona Republic. "We were finally able to get the driver to pull over in the middle of New Mexico but not without her almost tipping the bus over with how reckless she was being."

More: School bus companies across U.S. facing driver shortage

More: Toyota's AI could soon check your face to see you're sleepy or stressed

McClellan said U.S. Border Patrol was called to escort the bus to the closest gas station, where the driver was replaced. A Border Patrol agent stayed on the bus to keep an eye on the driver along the way, McClellan said.

Another passenger on the bus, Philip Hurd, told CBS11 in Dallas on Thursday that people started to worry after the bus began swerving and they noticed the driver trying to stay awake.

"We would go over the white line and everybody would be like, 'Wake up,' and she had tweezers she was poking herself with," Hurd told the television station. "It got to the point where we had to raise our voice, 'Pull over, we have children on this bus, pull over.'"

Passengers told CBS11 they were escorted to a safe location by U.S. Border Patrol agents and a new driver was assigned.

Warning: The video contains strong language

Video of a bus passenger mutiny onboard a Greyhound from Phoenix to Dallas because the driver kept falling asleep at the wheel. Driver forced to stop. Greyhound has launched internal investigation https://t.co/Jak9yHYiy3 pic.twitter.com/eFrXZQr3fK — J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) March 23, 2018

The bus finally arrived seven hours late in Dallas. About 60 people were aboard the bus, the station reported.

In a statement to The Republic, Greyhound said the driver, who was not identified, has been removed from service pending the results of an internal investigation.

"We are currently looking into these allegations, as we take the issue of driver fatigue very seriously," Greyhound said in a statement. "Our drivers are in regular contact with our dispatch office, and if they state they are feeling tired or fatigued, they are immediately removed from the schedule for at least 12 hours to allow them to get some rest."

Neither the station report nor the Greyhound statement specified where along the route the driver finally was removed.