An 83-year-old woman was forced to sleep on a train station bench after her journey with FlixBus was cut short.
Judith Da Silva, from Findhorn, was travelling overnight by bus to Leicester to attend a family funeral.
She had decided to take the bus rather than the train so she did not have to change vehicles during the night.
However, she found herself stranded at the bus station in Edinburgh just before midnight.
“The driver called forward everyone who was going to London and asked them to bring their luggage,” she said.
“He addressed them but I’m hard of hearing so all I heard was him apologising. He couldn’t answer any questions.
“Everybody there thought we’d be picked up by a new bus and driver.”
FlixBus service cancelled halfway through journey
Judith had booked a ticket for the 8.10pm FlixBus service on June 4 which was supposed to arrive in Leicester at 6.50am the next day.
The full bus of passengers were asked to leave the bus when it arrived in Edinburgh Bus Station – which is closed between 12am and 4.30am – at about 11.30pm.
Those who had been heading for London were able to get on a Megabus service but around a dozen other people, including Judith, were left with nowhere to go.
“They were going straight to London and would only take cash,” she said. “The only staff at the station were two security guards and they didn’t know what was going on.
“I have a phone but it doesn’t have internet so I couldn’t look anything up online.”
The pensioner tried to get some sleep on one of the metal benches at the station, and the security guards kindly let her borrow a high-vis jacket and a blanket to keep warm.
Still waiting for answers
One of the security guards was able to find a suitable train for Judith to take down to England and walked her to the railway station for its 5.40am departure.
“Thanks to him I was able to arrive in good time for the funeral, if rather tired,” she added. “I’d like to thank them for keeping me warm and letting me be with my family at this deeply special time.”
Fortunately, she still made it to Leicester in time to attend the funeral – after spending a further £120.
“It was unbelievable,” Judith said. “This has never happened to me before. Everybody on the bus had to pay more to get where they needed to be.”
Judith contacted FlixBus directly to ask about what had happened to the bus and to inquire about a refund.
She is still waiting for answers.
FlixBus has been contacted for comment.
