A MOTHER has claimed that a bus driver left her 13-year-old daughter stranded as she tried to get to school.
Jean Love, of Plantation Road, Accrington, said her daughter, Kayleigh, tried to board a Rossendale Transport bus going towards The Hollins Technology College last Tuesday morning.
But when Kayleigh - whose two brothers had already got on the bus - paid her money and told the driver where she was going, he asked her to repeat herself several times before calling her stupid and telling her to get off.
Mrs Love said: "Her brothers got on the bus first and they paid their money and sat down before Kayleigh got on.
"But everything she said, the driver just kept saying, 'Where?' In the end he called her stupid and told her to get off.
"I think he was trying to wind her up at first but he just took it too far. There was no reason for it whatsoever. She's a polite girl and it's not like her to be cheeky.
"She had to wait by herself for another bus, which is something she never does, as she's too scared to catch a bus by herself.
"She was very upset and crying when she came home from school. I am extremely annoyed."
Mr Edgar Oldham, managing director of Rossendale Transport, invited Mrs Love to contact him to discuss the matter.
He said: "We do have an official complaints procedure, and on checking our records I was surprised that no record of this particular complaint had been received.
"I would therefore invite Mrs Love to contact me to officially record her complaint, following which I will carry out a full investigation in line with our usual procedures.
"We positively invite all customer feedback, positive or negative, in order that we can continually improve our services to customers.
"I do not feel it appropriate to deal with customer complaints, nor debate the rights and wrongs of any incidents regarding schoolchildren, in the public arena before first of all having direct discussions with the parents."
