# What happens when a bus passenger goes missing.? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512 "2019-12-28T15:00:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/1 "2019-12-28T15:00:45Z")
That’s the sum of it. I’m talking about a long trip cross country when there’s a lengthy rest stop. Does the bus driver keep a count? Does the bus start up and leave without someone? What if someone who, say, got lost in a corn maze and found his way back to where the bus had been and found it gone? What happens then? Is it up to him to somehow catch up with that bus, or - what? ---
**Author:** ![htetrasme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f8ce5/32.png) [@htetrasme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htetrasme)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/2 "2019-12-28T15:13:12Z")
I think they will almost always leave the person behind. My wife says she has been on busses which have left people behind, but she doesn’t know what happened to them after that. As for me, I seem to recall drivers warning us that we would be left behind if we did not return to the bus in within the allowed amount of time. ---
**Author:** ![l0k1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@l0k1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/l0k1)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/3 "2019-12-28T15:13:47Z")
Greyhound would definitely just leave you. The bus driver is not a babysitter. Either be ready to leave when it’s time to go, or make other arrangements. A plane would ditch you too, as would a cruise ship. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/4 "2019-12-28T15:19:21Z")
> [@l0k1](#): > > A plane would ditch you too, I’m not too sure about the plane. If your luggage is still on board, the plane might be grounded until they can make sure it’s not a bomb. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/5 "2019-12-28T15:19:55Z")
a friend of mine was very late for a flight but he banged on the closed plane door and they let him in. That probably would not happen now after 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/6 "2019-12-28T16:16:52Z")
Tour buses have some leeway - although one I was on left a couple behind, since everyone thought they were leaving the tour at that point. The driver thought he had everyone on board - so he left a few minutes early. In those early (or pre) cell phone days, the driver was contacted about 100 miles down the road. Too late to turn back, so the couple had to be flown to the next major destination. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/7 "2019-12-28T16:21:31Z")
My parents ran the cafe where the bus stopped for lunch. One day an older man was in the bathroom when the bus left. My mother called the next stop ten miles away and my brother drove him there; the bus was waiting for him. The passenger sent us Christmas cards every year after that. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/8 "2019-12-28T16:41:02Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > a friend of mine was very late for a flight but he banged on the closed plane door and they let him in. That probably would not happen now after 9/11. My flight this past summer, some members of a family were aboard. Other members arrived at the airport on a different delayed flight. They arrived at our gate just as the plane’s doors were closed (texters kept the entire cabin aware.). They were not allowed on, even though we didn’t pull away from the gate for another 20 minutes due to high flight volume. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/9 "2019-12-28T16:51:21Z")
I was on a flight just a month ago that was delayed because a passenger had checked in, checked luggage and not boarded. They would not take off until the luggage was found and removed. As for buses, I am sure they just go. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/10 "2019-12-28T17:01:49Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > a friend of mine was very late for a flight but he banged on the closed plane door and they let him in. That probably would not happen now after 9/11. Doesn’t sound particularly believable, even pre-9/11. The doors to the jet bridges have always been locked, even back then. The ground personnel wouldn’t simply leave the door unlocked and walk away. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/11 "2019-12-28T17:11:29Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Doesn’t sound particularly believable, even pre-9/11. > > The doors to the jet bridges have always been locked, even back then. The ground personnel wouldn’t simply leave the door unlocked and walk away. There’s plenty of planes/airports that use a stair car/stairway instead of a jet bridge. Particularly smaller airports or smaller/chartered planes that load and unload nowhere near the actual airport terminal. Now, someone being allowed out on to the field without being stopped is a different story. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/12 "2019-12-28T21:38:12Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > That’s the sum of it. I’m talking about a long trip cross country when there’s a lengthy rest stop. Does the bus driver keep a count? Does the bus start up and leave without someone? What if someone who, say, got lost in a corn maze and found his way back to where the bus had been and found it gone? What happens then? Is it up to him to somehow catch up with that bus, or - what? I am wondering why you imagine that the driver of a cross-country bus would do anything at all. Their responsibility is to keep to the schedule and to ensure the safety of those on board, not to go looking for tardy passengers. It’s different on tours and anyone who has ever been on one will know that there is always this couple who think that the departure time does not apply to them and amble up, totally unembarrassed by the glares of the other passengers. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/13 "2019-12-28T21:52:47Z")
He stands in the middle of the track and yells, “Son of a BITCH!” Oops! Wrong movie. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/14 "2019-12-28T23:45:59Z")
South of the Rio Grande, just yell, run after it, and climb back on top. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/15 "2019-12-29T00:37:12Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I am wondering why you imagine that the driver of a cross-country bus would do anything at all. Their responsibility is to keep to the schedule and to ensure the safety of those on board, not to go looking for tardy passengers. It’s different on tours and anyone who has ever been on one will know that there is always this couple who think that the departure time does not apply to them and amble up, totally unembarrassed by the glares of the other passengers. They honestly don’t seem to care too much the schedule or the safety, either. Greyhound is an appallingly terrible service. Massive overbooking, and they do fuck all to help you if you show up for your midnight transfer and the next leg is overcrowded, or if you are late because your transfer was late. The official motto seems to be "fuck you, if you weren’t pathetically poor, you wouldn’t be here in the first place, so don’t go around with expectations ". ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/16 "2019-12-29T00:35:46Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I am wondering why you imagine that the driver of a cross-country bus would do anything at all. Their responsibility is to keep to the schedule and to ensure the safety of those on board, not to go looking for tardy passengers. It’s different on tours and anyone who has ever been on one will know that there is always this couple who think that the departure time does not apply to them and amble up, totally unembarrassed by the glares of the other passengers. They honestly don’t seem to care too much the schedule or the safety, either. Greyhound is an appallingly terrible service. Massive overbooking, and they do fuck all to help you if you show up for your midnight transfer and the next leg is overcrowded, or if you are late because your transfer was late. The official motto seems to be "fuck you, if you weren’t pathetically poor, you wouldn’t be here in the first place, so don’t go around with expectations ". ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/17 "2019-12-29T00:38:40Z")
Hell, even diving tours can [leave you treading water](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/jul/23/2). ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/18 "2019-12-29T00:48:49Z")
I haven’t taken that sort of bus trip - but I have taken an Amtrak trip that was about 6 hours long with one or two fairly long stops where people could get off the train and smoke, or pick up food in the station. And there was no attendance taking before leaving those stops. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/19 "2019-12-29T03:26:33Z")
The sure belief that airline personnel would be confident that Passenger #8978989’s checked luggage is most likely to be on the plane he decides not to board is touching. Even most likely to be in the luggage stream for some plane headed to the same destination is optimistic. TSA ransacks luggage according to their own mystical formulae, they don’t keep track of it. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512/20 "2019-12-29T03:38:07Z")
> [@Triskadecamus](#): > > The sure belief that airline personnel would be confident that Passenger #8978989’s checked luggage is most likely to be on the plane he decides not to board is touching. Even most likely to be in the luggage stream for some plane headed to the same destination is optimistic. TSA ransacks luggage according to their own mystical formulae, they don’t keep track of it. Actually, the odds are around 99.8% that your bag will be on the plane it’s supposed to be on. [The average rate for “mishandled” baggage is 2 out of every 1000.](https://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/44256814/the-u-s-airlines-most-likely-to-lose-your-luggage/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-bus-passenger-goes-missing/845512.md?page=2)