TRAILWAYS BANS AUTISTIC PEOPLE FROM CROSS COUNTRY TRAVEL
-HOLIDAY ENDS IN JAIL-
Des Moines
Holger didn't have much fun in his life because he saved every money he could make for his Africa-Project. He is born in Germany but moved to the Azores after his Roommates made him homeless in a tricky illegal way.
2015 should be different from all the other years: He planned a once in Lifetime Vocation, that should last from late June to late November. Every Minute was planned. Many months ago he bought himself a Greyhound-Ticket Chicago-SLC for to get the Boarding Nr 1. That Detail was important for him, because he has Autism and is unable to sit 24 h in a single Position with Shoes on and to sleep in a seated Position. In this way he was able to occupy the 2 right Seats behind the front Row and stretch out his feet to a seat across the Gangway where only a Cooler rested. For this he bought himself new socks, that never have been worn before.
The Driver yelled and acted to the Costumers like in a Military Boot Camp. He dropped Luggage from other Travelers from a 1,50 m Height on the Gangway, that breakable items brake apart likely. Holger noticed the Driver, that he has Autism and that he didn't understand every thing he jelled quickly.
Until Des Moines - a 6 h Drive the Driver accepted his sleeping Position and Holger made always room for other Passengers at upcoming Stops well in Advance. Holger didn't cause any Problem until the Bus Driver caused a Problem to him. Holger talked with the Bus-Driver about his sleeping Position also at a Rest-Stop at 2:19 am and he accepted it. Holger got told from a other Bus Driver that you can not take off Shoes on the front Row, but at all other Rows.
In Des Moines everything should be different: Suddenly the bus driver came to Holger and said that he had to put on his shoes NOW. It is unhygienic. Arguments which he had accepted it all the time and the fresh socks it had died away.
Although Holger followed under protest the amended rule, the police were called. At their arrival, Holger had already calmed down, but he was asked to leave the bus. For Holger it was already difficult to deal with the unfair behavior of the bus driver, but he could not deal with the end of his journey. As he left the Bus it was CLEAR that Lagoon, Discovery Kingdom, San Francisco, Great America, Knotts Berry Farm, Disneyland, Seaworld, Magic Mountain, Legoland, his birthday party, and the Getty Museum as well as all the venues he later wanted to visit dissolve in air, because all tickets were only valid for a specific day. All that Holger realized with leaving the bus and broke in a Apathetical state along next to the bus.
Logically, he could not leave as requested from the police the grounds of nowhere and was admitted for "Trespassing" in the Polk County Jail. There, all clothing was taken away from him and all the bracelets been cut, which roughly is for him, as if you would cut off his arm, as they all get invalid in this way as they been tampered.
Holger will never be able to travel again.
Holger: "If I see today Films like "Auf der Flucht" where it is shown how felons are put in jail in the abdomen, hand and leg irons, this is traumatic for me because that is just as I was treated for to take off the shoes. It is absolutely a paradox!"
Holger,
I was wondering what happened to you, as I remember helping you with your epic trip and I think I saw that you had started, then everything went quiet. I assumed that the trip was just uneventful and that you hadn't returned to the website since making it back home, but it appears my assumption was very wrong. I'm very sorry that such an unfortunate event occurred as that is the worst possible way to have a vacation end. Without having been there, I can't say anything for sure, but it definitely seems like there were some extreme reactions. Did you comply with their request politely or argue and cause a scene? If the latter, that is probably why the police were called. Even still, it seems odd that you would be arrested for trespassing once off the bus. Did you have no means to call for a taxi or similar? Or did you argue with the police and cause problems there? Depending on the situation, you may want to consult a legal expert to see if there is anything you can do to potentially get reimbursement for the missed portions of your trip, but I can't offer any advice since I don't know much about how that would work (especially when involving foreign citizens in such a case).
I hope that you did enjoy the portions of your trip that you were able to complete, and although this was likely a traumatic experience perhaps in time you'll feel like traveling again. Perhaps if you do another trip in the future you should concentrate on a smaller area with less travel and find a companion to join you and help out if such a situation should arise again.
Why I should call a Taxi if I have a valid Bus Ticket?
How to find a legal expert that not ask me for aditional money?
How to find a companion?
Yes a new Trip would just cover NV, CA and TX but I couldn't do it because it would involve aditional money.
Why I should call a Taxi if I have a valid Bus Ticket?
If I understand your story correctly, you were removed from the bus by the police. Afterward, you were arrested for trespassing because you were not able to leave the area. Like I said, I wasn't there so I can't say for sure, but it seems like after you got off the bus you could perhaps call a taxi to take you back to Des Moines and then find an alternate method of getting to Salt Lake City. Yes, it would be expensive, but you'd be able to salvage the rest of your trip. Generally, if you're removed from the bus your ticket is no longer valid, so you'd need an alternate method of transportation.
Honestly, if I were you I probably would have just flown from Chicago to Salt Lake City. 24 hours on a bus is uncomfortable for anyone, and while it may be cheaper it may not be worth it. Not saying there's anything wrong with using Greyhound, but sometimes it's worth spending a little extra for a more pleasant experience.
How to find a legal expert that not ask me for aditional money?
The best advice I can give you is to do a search online. There may be websites that will answer questions for free, or you may find someone in your area who is willing to talk to you and determine whether or not you'd have any case without charging a fee. Again, I don't know how this works in your country, so Google is probably going to be your best friend here.
How to find a companion?
Look online and see if there is any group that has members where you live. If so, reach out to them and try to meet up at a local park or something. If you meet people, you may find someone interested in doing a trip with you. 90% of the theme park enthusiasts I have met has been via a website (either at an event put on by the organization or just by talking with them and eventually arranging a meetup), so that is probably your best bet. Since you live in Europe, the European Coaster Club may be a good place to start.
Yes a new Trip would just cover NV, CA and TX but I couldn't do it because it would involve aditional money.
I'm not saying you should do it now, but perhaps if you save up money you'll have enough to do it in 5 years or so. Besides, by waiting you'd be able to experience all kinds of new stuff (at least at the California parks), most of which wasn't announced when you planned this trip. For me, I find the best option is usually to rough plan a trip a couple years in advance to know approximately how much I need to save, and then work toward that goal. That may not work for everyone, but it is worth trying.
Their was not ANY Reason to border me with requesting to put my shoes on. So I really can not see why I should spend even one cent more on transportation between Chicago and SLC as I did already. The Situation is like you have been acepted on a Coaster for 6 hours and in the next two hours they say that you're to tall.
In my Area their is only 1 Attorney that speaks English and every time you have a date with him he is not in his office. An Attorney must also been Licensed for the Court of the Area, what means that an Portuguise Attorney can not help.
My money always get less, not more...
I live in an Island with 20.000 people, so sure no Park or group or members of any club.
Yeah, that doesn't make any sense. Did you try writing a complaint to Greyhound? If not, that is another thing you can try, and you can probably do it via their website. Other than that and what I mentioned previously, I can't really think of anything else that might be helpful here.
Even if you don't live near a park, you can still join an online community and try to find someone to meet up with whenever you travel to the region. Some of them have message boards specifically for members to arrange meetups with each other.
I wish I could help you out more since I know how much went into your trip and it is really, really unfortunate that it didn't work out, but sadly I don't really have any other advice than what I've posted here so far. I do hope you find some type of resolution, but I think you may need to search elsewhere to find better resources for this type of thing.
Yes I contacted Greyhound. First they wanted the Ticket Nr's and after given them it got quiet.
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Why is this on here?