Driver refused to let desperate girl, 16, on last bus home due to health and safety

12 November 2021, 16:11

Bus driver in East Yorkshire refuses to let teenager on last service

This is the moment a teenage girl was left stranded after a bus driver refused to let her board the last bus home.

The 16-year-old desperately pleaded with the driver to let her travel on the service from Beverley bus station in east Yorkshire, but her pleas were ignored and he blasted his horn to try and force her to move out the way.

A police officer witnessed the incident and intervened, but was told by the bus driver that he could not let her on for health and safety reasons.

The female officer ultimately agreed to give the girl a lift home, having criticised the driver.

The girl's father, Gary Hockney, said: "She was so upset. It happened on Sunday night and on Monday she didn't go to college.

"She was frightened to go on the bus because she goes on a public bus and she was worried that she would bump into this driver."

The teenager had tried to board the bus at 9.30pm on Sunday.

She claims that as she reached the bus, it began to pull away. The girl stood in front of the bus while it was still in the parking bay so she was visible to the driver.

But he refused to let her on and instead continually beeped the horn, flashed his lights and revved the engine while she was in tears.

"Can you just open the door, I need to get home," she can be heard saying in the video.

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The officer, who had been dealing with another incident at the station, came over after witnessing the incident unfold and spoke to the bus driver, who said that he could not open the doors due to health and safety reasons.

Mr Hockney added: "I want to draw attention to [the bus driver's] actions but also the officer's, because it's such a positive thing that she did. I would have picked her up but it was such a nice gesture."

Of the health and safety rules, Mr Hockney said it was "stupid" and that bus companies "should give their employees the confidence" to show discretion.

"I'm sure he would have let his own daughter on in that situation, or if he saw somebody being chased. Surely at some point there's a cut-off and you show some discretion."

East Yorkshire Buses said in a statement: “On Sunday night, one of our buses was in the process of leaving Beverley bus station at its scheduled departure time, when a late-arriving passenger ran out in front of it to try to stop it leaving.

"For safety reasons, our drivers are advised not to allow any more passengers to board once they have closed the doors and reversed off the bus station stands, as it is unsafe for passengers to try to enter the part of the station where buses are moving.

"The passenger refused to move from in front of the bus, so a police officer who was in the station dealing with some anti-social behaviour came to speak to the driver, and agreed to give the passenger a lift home so that the bus could continue on its way.

"Our driver was satisfied that the passenger was safe, and the bus was able to continue with its journey. We'd advise that passengers always ensure they arrive at their bus stop in good time, and we have live tracking features on our website and app which you can use to ensure you never miss a bus."