East Coast bus hijacked by driver. Then he tells passengers they’re on the wrong bus, and drives to the wrong destination

An overnight trip from New York City to Washington, D.C., became a hostage-like ordeal after the drivers switched late at night. The new driver then veered off course, refused to communicate, and insisted the panicked passengers were “on the wrong bus.”

News of the bizarre BestBus driver incident emerged in a viral thread on Bluesky from @Musicologyduck.bsky.social and has since been reported in local media.

A normal trip descends into chaos

According to the passenger’s detailed timeline, the trip began normally on Monday night, Jan. 19, 2026, as a BestBus route departed New York City’s Penn Station, bound for Union Station in Washington, D.C. Shortly after a scheduled rest stop, however, when the drivers switched, things took a strange turn.

“I just woke up from a nap and somehow while I was asleep, everyone on the bus has figured out we are not going to the right place,” @Musicologyduck wrote in the Bluesky thread, adding, “They switched drivers at a rest stop and the new driver is telling everyone that they’re the ones on the wrong bus??”

According to the thread — which racked up thousands of likes and reposts before media coverage — the new driver refused to engage with passengers’ questions about the route and repeatedly ignored directions from both riders. “He’s refusing to talk to anyone while he’s driving,” @Musicologyduck wrote.

Passengers tried to intervene

Passengers say they began to realize the bus was not heading toward Washington, D.C. Some used GPS navigation apps that indicated the driver was moving unusually fast. In one post, the rider noted the bus was doing “75 in a 55 zone.”

Passengers reportedly called BestBus customer service, and at least one person managed to put a company representative on the phone and walk them to the front of the bus. According to @Musicologyduck’s posts, the company told the driver to head to Union Station, but the driver allegedly responded that he “doesn’t get paid enough” and continued driving.

The thread also describes growing concern among riders that they might end up far from their intended destination late at night. At one point, @Musicology speculated: “I think I might end up in Vienna, Virginia…but I’m… not sure??

In the thread, the passenger noted that two larger male passengers eventually confronted the driver at the front of the bus, demanding he stop. When passengers approached the front with their phones to show the driver the map or talk to the company, the driver reportedly grabbed the phones and hung them up.

Passengers’ worst fears seemed to come true when, according to the social media thread and follow-up reports, the errant driver eventually pulled off the highway and let everyone off at the Vienna Metro station in northern Virginia around 10 p.m.

Video clips shared by @Musicologyduck reportedly show the driver taunting passengers, and one clip even features him saying, “I’m the captain of this ship,” as he closed the luggage compartment. Video evidence showed the driver flipping off the passengers as they stood on the curb at the Vienna Metro station.

The driver let them go

According to local news outlet FFXNow, the Fairfax County Police Department confirmed officers responded to a call about a bus driver acting erratically at the 9500 block of Virginia Center Boulevard at 10:02 p.m. But police assistance was no longer needed as the bus had departed the area.

BestBus, a Mid-Atlantic intercity service operating between New York City and Washington, D.C., issued an official statement confirming it is investigating the overnight incident and acknowledged that the “experience described on social media does not reflect the standards we expect from our team or the service our passengers deserve.”

The company also stated that all affected passengers have received full refunds and future travel vouchers, and that an internal review of driver conduct and operational procedures is underway. After being dropped off in Vienna, passengers were reportedly picked up by another BestBus vehicle and taken to their intended destination of Union Station.