More than 200 stranded in LV

Mathis Winkler

Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001 | 9:58 a.m.

More than 200 confused passengers were stranded at Las Vegas' Greyhound station after company officials grounded all buses early this morning as a result of the incident in Tennessee.

While station officials were tight-lipped about the reason for the shutdown, word spread quickly that the Tennessee bus crashed after a passenger slit the driver's throat. Many said they were scared to travel.

"It's kind of scary to think that now they're attacking buses," said Brenda Becker, who arrived in Las Vegas from Los Angeles at 4:30 a.m. and planned to continue to Canada to visit her parents.

"I don't know whether I want to get back on (a bus) now," she said, adding that she was trying to reach her boyfriend in Los Angeles to ask him to pick her up.

"I didn't want to fly," Becker said. "Now the bus isn't safe, either."

Las Vegas resident Sara Conwell, who had planned to take a 5:10 a.m. bus to Chicago, also worried about her safety.

"By now, I'm really scared about it," she said. "I'm a little worried to get on a bus."

Others said they just wanted to get back on the road.

"I just want to get home," said Phoenix resident Marta Davila, who had just arrived from Salt Lake City with her friends, Clint McPherson and Andrew Hodge.

McPherson said he wasn't too worried about continuing the journey.

"As long as there are no weird guys on our bus, we'll be fine," he said, adding that he had been told that all bags would have to be searched by FBI agents before buses could depart.

Hodge said he felt Greyhound officials were overreacting.

"Everybody's in a suspended state of fear right now," he said. "If this had happened two months ago, they would not have (grounded buses.)"

He added that he didn't think the Tennessee hijacking was connected to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"You got bigger fish to fry than a Greyhound bus," he said. "What kind of message is (a bus hijacking?)"

As many passengers sat on their luggage or paced the station grounds and expressed frustration over the prospect of hours of waiting before they could travel, Laughlin resident Mike Davis made alternate plans.

"I'm going to the airport," he said, adding that he wanted to get to Tahoe to visit friends. "I'm gonna fly."

Greyhound officials at the station declined to comment about the situation. A sign on the check-in counter read: "No ticket sales at this point."

The company said it was to resume service later this morning. The Greyhound phone number for reservations and schedules is (800) 231-2222.