YELLOWKNIFE - A Yellowknife youth group was stranded for two hours outside Edmonton when their bus driver fled after being accused of being drunk at the wheel.

Colin Westcott was a member of the group on their way home from a weekend Christian youth conference when they noticed the bus driver was acting strangely.

"It was okay at first, he wasn't shaky or anything. When we were getting on the highway it got a little shaky," he said.

The group was making a stop at a Wendy's restaurant when the bus driver missed the turn.

"Everyone was noticing it and talking about it," Colin said.

While the youths went into the restaurant to eat, some parents who were travelling separately in a van confronted the bus driver.

"Two of our leaders were really angry," Colin said.

"They thought that he had been drinking. While they were waiting for the RCMP to come the bus driver got into a taxi and left."

The group was stranded for two hours, waiting for a replacement driver dispatched by Cardinal Coach Lines.

Vivian Nickel, regional safety manager for Cardinal, confirmed the details of the incident.

"He was challenged by one of the parents on board. He just got off the bus and into a cab. We haven't heard from him since," she said.

Nickel said that in most cases they would investigate the claim, but since the bus driver left the scene and also hasn't returned to work they are assuming that he was intoxicated.

"He more or less admitted it. He admitted it when he was challenged, and the fact that he hasn't shown up to make a case for himself concluded it for us."

Nickel said that Cardinal Coachlines has a regulation that bus drivers are not permitted to drink 12 hours before driving.

"We do reference checks, we do drug screenings upon pre-employment. It was one of those things that he did. It was the fault of the individual."

The bus driver had been with Cardinal Coachlines for six months, Nickel said.