Local News in Brief : Orange : Tour Bus Gets Long Way Off Its Schedule

A wayward bus driver had the owner of a tour bus company biting her nails this week after he and the vehicle disappeared. After a two-day absence, he called his employer Thursday to say he had parked the bus in Los Angeles and would not be returning it.

Laura Poole, owner of Laura’s Tours, which conducts sightseeing tours in Los Angeles and Orange counties, said one of her employees, John Bynum of Santa Ana, was last seen Tuesday afternoon driving out of Orange in the 25-passenger bus.

Until Thursday afternoon, Poole said, she had no idea where he and the bus were. She said that she had no reason to suspect Bynum might have stolen the bus and that she reported bus and driver to the Orange Police Department as missing.

About 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Poole said, she received the call from Bynum saying the bus was fine but that he would not be bringing it back.

Poole said Bynum was scheduled to pick up tourists in Los Angeles. As to the abandonment, she said, “I don’t know why he did it, but the bus is fine and is heading back.”