A Pittsburgh man claims Greyhound refused to allow him to board the bus with his belongings.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Pittsburgh man shared that his weekly journey to bring joy and happiness often becomes an embarrassing ordeal.

"I felt really uncomfortable being questioned about my medical history in front of 40 strangers," said Steven Gailey, a professional clown.

Gailey claims that Greyhound denied him boarding because of his service animal. He spoke exclusively with KDKA Consumer Investigator Meghan Schiller about his weekly trips to Harrisburg to spread joy.

"In Harrisburg, I'm helping a group called Self-Esteem Ministry start their own clown troupe, and they're planning to visit the hospital," Gailey explained.

Gailey is teaching inner-city kids how to become clowns for humor therapy, but his recent experiences with his service dog, Neal, have been far from amusing.

"The bus steward wanted to know why I had Neal with me, and I explained that he's a service dog," Gailey said. "It was a very hot day, so Neal wasn't wearing his vest, and the steward began questioning what Neal does for me and what my condition is."

Gailey travels to Harrisburg by Amtrak without any problems, but he says that some Greyhound drivers and employees frequently question his service dog and disability.

"It takes two to three hours to reach someone by phone, and often the person is in another country. About one in three times, they don’t understand what a service dog is and tell me that dogs aren’t allowed on the bus, then they hang up on me," Gailey said.

After experiencing this on multiple trips, he decided to speak out. According to Greyhound's policy on its website, "We welcome service animals on board Greyhound buses (they always seem to enjoy the ride too)."

"But that's not who you get on the phone, and it's not half of their staff," Gailey said. "When they stranded me in Harrisburg a month ago, I had to pull out all of my paperwork and give it to someone I'd never met before at the station. I had to practically beg him to put me on the next bus because another employee made a mistake. I shouldn’t have to go through that."

Gailey, who suffers from seizures and doesn't feel comfortable driving, relies on Neal, his service dog, to stay by his side and alert him to potential seizures.

KDKA Investigates discovered that under the Americans with Disabilities Act, if it's not immediately obvious that a dog is a service animal, staff are allowed to ask only two questions:

1. Is the service animal required because of a disability?

2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

Staff cannot request documentation for the dog, require it to demonstrate its task, or ask about the person's disability.

KDKA Investigates reached out to Greyhound, and a spokesperson responded:

"Greyhound is working with this passenger, and we remain committed to ensuring accessibility for every passenger, including those with disabilities and those who require the use of a service animal."

When KDKA-TV inquired about staff training and awareness of these concerns, a Greyhound spokesperson responded:

"We regret any unsatisfactory experience this passenger had while traveling with Greyhound. We are continuing to work directly with the passenger to ensure their needs are fully met while minimizing any inconveniences. To this end, we are committed to making sure all staff across the organization are informed of and compliant with company policies, as well as all applicable federal, state, or local laws and regulations. Greyhound remains dedicated to ensuring accessibility for every passenger, including those with disabilities and those who require the use of service animals."

Regarding Greyhound's response, Gailey commented, "Someone from their public relations department called and said they really care and understand this is an issue they'll fix. But no one in charge will talk to me."..Read more