Canadians complain about bus trip from Las Vegas casino

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2000 | 10:57 a.m.

Several Canadians on a recent bus tour to the Lady Luck hotel-casino in Las Vegas say the vehicle's heater broke down and the toilet didn't work on the 32-hour return trip to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

But the owner of Mr. Canada's Transportation Network, Winnipeg, said buses aren't immune to mechanical breakdowns and that the complainers are "a bunch of cry-babies."

Wayne Flett, Mr. Canada's operator, said he's already given six passengers $200 credits on a future seven-day Las Vegas trip. That means they could travel to the city for as low as $99. Passengers paid $299 for the early December trip to Las Vegas.

But passengers interviewed by Canadian media say they'll think twice before boarding another Mr. Canada's bus.

Passengers interviewed said the heat quit halfway across the Canadian prairie and the bus driver had to ask female passengers for their hairspray to defrost his windshield.

On the trip, some passengers bailed out at Brandon, about 13 hours away from Winnipeg, and bought $25 Greyhound bus tickets to get home.

Flett said none of the complainers had traveled with him on trips before and most of the other people on the 56-passenger bus were as annoyed with them as the complainers were of the bus problems.

"About 99 percent of these trips run perfectly," Flett said. "In this case, the alternative would have been to be held up 12 to 13 hours to send a replacement bus."

Flett said Mr. Canada's has been operating bus trips to Las Vegas since May, with seven-day and 10-day tours. The 10-day trips have two stops between Winnipeg and Las Vegas while the seven-day trips are express buses both directions.

The company has offered trips to Mesquite for several years and at peak periods, Mr. Canada's will run 10 to 14 buses there a week.

"We tell people traveling with us that they should dress for the winter weather," Flett said. "People live here -- they know it's cold.

"But six people out of 54 caused some trouble and wanted their money back after they had taken the trip."

Sharon Farrell, a spokeswoman for Lady Luck, said the casino had no comment on the incident.