5/17/21

By Susie Tony Melendez

So at about 2:00 p.m. my husband and I drove to Alameda Ave. and Durril St. where Misioneros Bus Lines are kept. I parked across the street at the M&M Apts. on Durril St. I got off and walked over to the lot and I started to take a few photos when an older man came over to me and politely asked if he could help me. I told him my daughter wanted to know where she could get info on bus fare from El Paso to L.A and Dallas. I told him she was also interested in the 915 Tour Bus which goes to the Dallas Cowboy games. Well I kept conversing with him in Spanish and when I got him going I asked if I could go and check out the buses through the inside so that I could tell my daughter how nice those buses looked and when he said sure to go I told him I wanted to see the 915 Tour bus first so I could signal my husband to come over to that bus. Well, the man got a little surprised at seeing my husband so I went on and got onto the bus while my husband talked to him and told him I used to travel on two other bus lines years ago named Turismos Rapidos and Golden State to L.A. he said he used to work for them. I took a couple of photos and got off and I guess he got comfortable with us because he asked me to go take a look at the inside of the Misionero bus so I said ok and as I started to get on I could see and smell that bus had been cleaned and sanitized from top to bottom. I asked him if I could take some photos so I could show my daughter and he said yes. So I did.

When I got off I asked him if these were the same buses that picked up passengers at downtown and he said yes but that right now they were being rented out to some other company so I asked if there was a number to where I could call about when these buses would be available and he gave me this name and number and said it was to the owner. (JOSE GOMEZ....915 - 613 - 9899) and the man talking to us is named (JOSE MARTINEZ) and I’m more than sure he is one of the drivers. This man out of the blue started telling us about the Immigrant Children as he called them and we acted as if we didn't know anything about what was going on with the children. He said some of these kids have tested positive for Covid so as soon as buses arrive they are cleaned and sanitized. In Spanish he said, Lady, these kids that get on these buses have Visas and telephone numbers and I don't know why they are being kept here instead of turning them over to their families!

He was saying all this in a sad voice. I tried asking him where these kids were being taken to but he just looked down and started talking about the buses he even asked me to sit on one of the seats so I could feel how comfortable they were. Well, we said thank you and he walked with us to the gate as Tourists were arriving. My husband took down this info from a Misionero bus:

OPERATOR AMERICAN CHARTER

US DOT WC

MC442628

1073757

Few photos I was able to take of the inside of the Misionero bus and the bottom ones are of the 915 Tour bus!