I'm not sure if there is a thread on the off topic forum, but as I am sure all of you know, a young man was stabbed and decapitated on a bus from Edmonton to Winnipeg last week.

I feel like this has really affected me because of the years I took the greyhound bus back and forth from many locations. I was often on the bus overnight and this could have happened to any one. Furthermore, it has really made me think of the security situation on buses. They say that bus transportation is the safest transportation in the world, but now that I look back on it, there were a lot of shady people I rode the bus with and took note of. I remember some people taking no belongings on a trip from Ottawa to NYC which was strange. There were even two separate occasions where drivers spotted two men who had knives on them and made them discard their knives before they boarded. Essentially, you can bring anything onto a bus without any one knowing. Your bags aren't checked unless you go through a border crossing.

We put so much into airport security....so why not buses? I realize it wouldn't be cost effective but after the gruesome tragedy last week, we have to do something.

haha I did find the thread on the off topic forum. Sorry guys. Still would like to know what you think if anything.

You got to be quick around here with these guys!

I was talking with hubby about this - and I was horrified by two things (1) the randomness of the event and (2) the fact that someone would walk around with a rambo knife.

Hubby didn't think it was strange for someone to walk around with a large knife. He thinks lots of people have them on their person. That scares me. I guess that is how we look at the world differently too. He assumes people have guns or knives on them for protection. I assume people are like me and carry the cell phone with 911 programmed into it for protection. He thinks I'm and I think he's

I think the bus security needs to get a serious look over!

you can walk away with people's luggage, there are no security protocols... no one checks if anyone's armed, intoxicated, on the run!
it's scary!
I've done lots of 14+ hr bus rides when Oliver and I were long distance (most of them overnight) and it's REALLY FREAKY to realize this happened to some poor kid..

It is so shocking and horrifying.

There were many people intoxicated on my bus rides. Luckily some of them were stopped at the border when I was going to the US by bus. As a young girl traveling on my own I really should have traveled during the day and not during the night time. But there were a lot of times where I sort of shook my head at some passengers because they were odd or something didn't feel right.

Also, there have been countless cases of people being on the run from the law and using bus transportation to evade the police because it IS so easy to do so. It just bothers me because Im sure nothing will come of this.

I used to take those long overnight bus rides too and looking back I can't believe I did. There were sooo many shady people on those buses. I used to do the Toronto-Buffalo-Syracuse-Binghamton NY route overnight. I actually was very lucky that nothing happened to me, but in hindsight I think I made some poor choices, I was very lucky that nothing happened to me.

I actually stopped doing it after a really scary night. I was travelling back to Toronto and I had a transfer in Syracuse (I had no choice) and the transfer bus was delayed. So at about 3 a.m. I had to wait almost 2 hours for another bus and we had to wait in the terminal. The security guard was fast asleep and it was basically me and 4-5 other creepy men. I was so vulnerable. One of them came up to me and asked me to for money and I seriously thought that I was going to be in BIG trouble. He ended up being harmless but still SUPER creepy. I never took the greyhound again, and will never take it again ever. I would much rather shell out hundreds of dollars for flight.

See that is what I am talking about. I used to either taking the Ottawa Express bus to NYC but more likely Ottawa-Montreal-Plattsburgh-Saratoga Springs-Albany-NY. There were a few times where I would be in Albany at 3am and think I was going to get accosted. I guess I thought I was being independent, when I was just being stupid.

I remember as a teen and young adult taking the bus and never gave it a second thought. Heck, I used to hitchhike as well. I'd usually be more concerned about stopping at "3.a.m. in Albany", than being on the bus. I'm sorry this has happened, but to scan everyone everytime the bus would stop? Yes, they do it at airports, not so that you won't stab your fellow passenger though. Heck, you can do that with a whittled toothbrush or empty pen casing. If you're looking specifically at guns say, or knives, you'd have to search everyone at every rest stop along the way as well, not just on the start of a trip.

This incident was a random act of violence. I was attacked once on the street (a random act of violence) while shopping in downtown TO during the day. You're never going to isolate yourself completely from everything.

hmmmmm it's true.. we once got caught up in a fight between a hot dog vendor and someone who stole something off his cart in TO.. he was literally throwing knives at the guy as he ran past us.. it was random.. RANDOM.. as was this incident. I'm grateful this guy on the bus didn't have a gun.. That's all I can say!

While you have a point about it being random, my experience in taking the bus has not been 100% safe and many others have said the same. Therefore, there has to be SOME kind of security in order. At least taking a look at passengers that are going to board the bus that may seem off colour would be a start. Most of the drivers I had couldn't give two ***** about who the heck was getting on the bus.

Plus, on certain buses there are no stops. Ottawa to NYC was a straight drive. There were no in between pickups. There were also bus rides I had to Montreal from NYC that had no stops.

All I am saying is that while this was a random act of violence, it doesn't mean we shouldn't look into it.

I read the story in the Globe & Mail on Thursday morning I believe.
And I cannot shake it...the feeling is sickening.
It has marred my psyche knowing that people do these kinds of things.
The guy decapitated his victim!!!
Sick truly sick.
I stay away from news usually, and this caught my eye and I picked it up and read it.
Almost threw up.
Bleh.

Not allowing knives does not mean there would be no killing if someone was hell bent on it.
The gruesomeness of this horrific crime is not due to some knife policy; it is an extremely unstable human being that has fallen through society's cracks.

RIP young man.

I'm getting on a bus in November to visit Chicago. This story did not make me feel good about this.

Jomo- you will be fine. This was a one of a kind thing. But do make sure you are aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts.

That's terrible Carla!

Yes, it was. The guy asked me for the time. Was an older man with a cane. I moved towards him because I had stopped and didn't want to distrupt the flow of sidewalk walkers, and was looking at my watch...when with both hands he swung his cane at head level and swacked me in the side of the head with it! Ouch! I looked at him and said, "what the f**k are you doing"? He was trying to swing at me again, and I grabbed the cane and heaved it behind me about 10 feet away. The goof! He was mumbling and laughing to himself when I looked back at him. I was a bit dizzy, and felt bruised on the side of my head for awhile, but didn't experience any other symptoms. I didn't report it to the police...don't know why not. Glad it wasn't a samuri sword though! Another time I had a driver pull over and ask for directions and he had an open map in his car. When I approached he pulled out a gun and told me to get in the car. I said no, and ran. Took down what information I could as he drove away, and reported it to police.

Here's a link to another recent story with a hammer!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...PStory/National

OMG that's horrible

Reminds me when I was 12 yo, me and 2 friends were walking in the park next to her house for her birthday....was around 5pm...in front of what became my highschool. We were wearing those "bomber" jacket that were very in at the time And 2 black guy started following us and as we started running they caught up ( they were really tall) and took out a Rambo knife. They asked for my friend's jacket and ran away. We went back to her house and her parents called the police, and they caught one of them in a bus. Spent the evening looking at criminal pictures to see if we could recognize them.....they all look the same after a while...

Geez Carla, that's traumatic....glad you were able to get away in both cases and you were generally ok!

Terrible as well Mephys (although i'm confused about your description of them being 'black' - not sure what that has to do with your story) - but anyway....very glad you two were ok as well!

I can not not to answer this, as it's never enough to speak loud about the safety thing, obviously related in this case on more than one level: Greyhound, dispite their ads of safety, that's not true, in my case that was often a nightmare, for which i tried to speak to their employees (not the drivers) in vain, one of them even clicked the line on me when i was trying to do so in a concerned and serious way. This was in Canada. The drivers are often impeccables, sometimes tired but still they do whatever possible to make us feel safe, so that is a disconnection between them and their bosses in some locations.
The second level being the immigration checking ( I doubt that that guy was so nice all the time...as specialists, the good and competent ones, are educated to recognize signs of mental problems..a priest or some can not, and it's always interesting that other professionals than those directly concerned as the ones in the mental healtt field, specialized with thes cases are not consulted or invited in the immigration processes when needed). There are all the time barrieres between the professions, and in such horrible cases, nothing is done, they, all of them are supposed and paid enough to protect the public....a big mark question as of our hidden wishes...
Third and maybe related to those 2 below points, is that as in the airports or the land borders, why on earth as G.'s huge territorial covering,in a same country or covering 2 countries, why not forbidding any type of weapons. I understand that G is often very croweded, without eough employees and especially busses, they can not then check the weapons, etc...imagine crowded busses, the climate is very bad, not enough busses, a sea of people stuck like sardines, waiting for hours (apart from their scheduled time) getting tensed to the point that they shout at each other, imagine in those crowds old people as the 80ies waiting there in that violence...somebody has to digg into this asap.....ouch that was hard to write ....pls forgive me!!!

That's terrible Carla. That geezer must have been an escapee from a mental hospital. You showed a lot more restraint than I would have. Good for you for reporting the automotive gunman. I had no idea this happened in Toronto. On second thought, a similar thing happened to my third-grade teacher so these maniacs are still out there.

Most Greyhound drivers are indifferent, a few are nice but there are a few psychos. Ran into one travelling between Abilene and El Paso. I guess he though it would be cute to play chicken on a one-lane highway with some guy in a sports car. Tailgating a BMW with a Greyhound bus at 65mph is even more fun when you're one of the passengers and you're 50 miles from nowhere in the middle of Texas and the sun has already set. What's surprising about the incident in Manitoba is that Canadian Greyhounds are 1000 times better than American ones, a retired USAF guy told me that during one trip and I beleive that he's right.

I only can speak of my own experience and the drivers of my travels were more than cautious and caring, especially in very sensitive and difficult situations to a point I was touched every time it happened. I'm talking of those of the eastern side of NAm. As i said, it depends of the locations, therefore I do not know nothing about the south of US or east of Can, but if I google, i don't know it it's the right rate, at least 2 of the accidents of G happened in the west of Can, maybe with this one is 3. I am not a statician and it would be pretentious to say so...that's why the concerned authorities have to take their responsabilities in my opinion....
As for psychopathia in itself, i may add that the population has to be more educated by the concerned professionals of how to recognize them...even if they are rare...but there are levels to attain such huge mental health problems...and not everybody can hear that..which i understand because it's too heavy stuff....only being in a shock after the 'fait accompli'...

Ops, i forgott to say something that may help for the safety for those who are obliged to travel like that...i made sure i come few hours in advance (once i've been traumatized by G) to have a decent seat, which is, very important to me: not far from the driver because in the back of the bus...well i just remember what that guy did, he went in the back to do his sh*t!...and i confess i'm still traumatized while i write this...it doesn't go away, especially after such news...

I have felt absolutely sickened my this random act of violence for days. I can't begin to imagine what the victim's family is going through. I used to take the greyhound bus to Ottawa from Toronto to visit my little brother and I have to admit, I never felt entirely safe. It was cheap, therefore I did it. I used to make sure I sat beside another woman, preferably an eldery one. One time I had no choice but to sit alone. Just as we were pulling out, a drunk man flagged us down and boarded the bus. He had to take the lone vacant seat next to me. It was 9:00am and he proceeded to say "may I offer you an ice cold beverage" (i.e., beer). At least he was polite in offering I suppose. The bus was also loaded with a Junior A hockey team so needless to say, I did not attempt to take a nap and it was the last time I took the greyhound. (P.S. I'm not implying there is anything wrong with sharing a ride with a hockey team. It was just a bit noisy.)