A teen who was visiting his father in the Vernon area before Christmas was removed from a bus trip home to the coast and left alone hours from family.
Jared Martin says his 15-year-old step-son Riley fell afoul of a new Ebus policy that riders must be 16 or older unless accompanied by an adult.
Martin purchased a ticket for Riley to return home to Abbotsford on Dec. 23.
He successfully boarded the bus, "where he was sent off by his dad," says Martin.
"Once he arrived in Kelowna for his transfer, he was then boarded by the bus driver on the next bus."
But before the bus could leave, an Ebus worker removed Riley from the vehicle because he was unaccompanied.
"He was scared and left alone in Kelowna with no direction by the Ebus staff on what was happening," says Martin.
When Riley called for help, Martin says he and the boy's mother dropped what they were doing and made the 650-kilometre round trip to collect him and bring him home for the holidays.
Ebus did offer to send Riley back to Vernon, but would not allow him to continue the trip to the coast.
"They told him he would be put on a bus back to Vernon, which would be without an adult — which was the whole reason they removed him from the bus to Abbotsford," says Martin.
He says Riley has made the same trip several times before, and there was no way to know the Ebus policy had changed without digging deep through its website.
"The driver let him on the bus and didn't check his ID ... then he was kicked off and left stranded."
By the time they arrived to pick him up, it was almost 6 p.m., and it was after 10 p.m. when they got back to Abbotsford.
"Ebus was more worried about reimbursing the ticket than leaving a young boy on his own," says Martin.
To make matters worse, Riley's luggage continued on the trip without him, and Martin had to drive to the Ebus terminal in Vancouver to retrieve it.
Aside from a day lost to driving, Martin is seeking compensation for fuel for the unforeseen rescue mission.
The Ebus website confirms the 16-plus policy.
"Ebus is first and foremost committed to the safety of our passengers. At the same time, we want to ensure an easy travel experience on the way to your destination," the site states.
Even for those over 16, all passengers over the age of 18 must travel with government-issued photo ID.
