Letter to the Editor: Rider Beware

Someone sent this Letter to the Editor, Rider Beware, to the Meridian Source on Aug. 25, 2024.

As a senior, I am submitting this article to advise anyone who travels with Rider Express Transportation Corp.

I want to make sure they are aware of where their checked luggage is at all times.

I purchased a ticket to travel from Lloydminster to Edmonton on Dec. 16, 2022 with Rider Express.

I had planned to have an early Christmas in Edmonton, so I had a large, new suitcase that for was a gift for me. I packed my suitcase with Christmas gifts for nine people.

When I went to claim my suitcase in Edmonton, with my claim ticket, my suitcase was no longer on the bus.

I learned the bus driver set my suitcase on the sidewalk at the previous stop, and left it unattended. A witness on the bus saw another passenger take my suitcase and walk away with it.

I filed a police report with the Edmonton Police Services, the Vegreville RCMP, and the Lloydminster RCMP. The only response I received from Rider Express was, ‘To you it was stolen, to us it was lost.’

They claimed I agreed to $100 for lost luggage, which is untrue.

Nine people did not get Christmas gifts from me that year. Some gifts were irreplaceable. There were also gift cards in my suitcase.

I phoned to cancel the gift cards, as I had the card numbers. I was told it would take 7-10 days to cancel them. They were very likely used before they were able to be cancelled.

I filed a civil suit with the King’s Court. All the documents were sent to Rider Express by registered mail, and they were returned unopened, and unclaimed.

I hired a Sheriff in Regina to serve the manager at the depot for Rider Express in Regina, with a certified Writ of Enforcement and a Default Judgement, and there was no response or action taken by Rider Express.

A collection agent was also unsuccessful with any response from Rider Express. The court system says they can not help me anymore. I have contacted my MLA, MP, Ombudsman, Receiver General for Canada, Service Alberta and issued five Garnishee Summons.

None of these were able to help me with my case. I also contacted the Better Business Bureau, but since this happened more than a year ago, they were unable to provide any assistance. I did learn that Rider Express has an “F” rating.

In all this time trying to contact Rider Express Transportation Corp, not once have they acknowledged any responsibility in the theft of my suitcase, they were responsible for.

If anyone has to travel with Rider Express, all I can say is “traveller beware.”

Margaret Fester

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