Bus driver leaves terrified blind woman in 'floods of tears' on busy roadside

16 December 2023 , 10:32

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Stagecoach are "aware of the incident" (Image: Steve Richards/REX/Shutterstock)

A blind woman was reduced to "floods of tears" after a bus driver left her stranded in the dark a mile away from home.

Simone Woods, 51, and her guide dog Mervin were ordered off a bus on a busy country lane due to "safety" concerns over apparent roadworks in the village of Winteringham, near Scunthorpe. The Stagecoach driver, who claimed he was unaware of her condition despite seeing Mervin, said his boss told him he couldn't take her to her normal stop despite her checking with the company beforehand. Simone was left "incredibly frightened" but tried to reassure her guide dog that everything would be ok by using her phone torch. She was trying to get home after finishing a shift at Scunthorpe General Hospital.

Simone Woods says she was left on a rural side road in the dark with her guide dog Mervin (Grimsby Telegraph/MEN Media)

But she was stunned when the driver of the 305 bus dropped her off a mile outside the village, telling her he could not risk driving through the roadworks. She said: "All the cars down there were driving at the national speed limit with their lights on full beam, and I was all in black because I wasn't expecting to have to walk home in the dark on an unlit road with no footpath. The cars were zooming past and I was so scared.”

Simone has been registered blind for more than two years after suffering with glaucoma. She has no vision on her right side and only tunnel vision on her left side. She continued: “It was incredibly scary. I was putting the light on my phone for my dog but he was quite stressed out as well. My guide dog and I walked the mile and a bit into the village with only the light of my phone to guide my dog.

“I was cold and incredibly frightened, I really feel this could have been avoided. By the time I got home I was in floods of tears. “It was an awful experience." She said she ran Stagecoach before leaving work to check the bus was running okay to her village and was told she would be ‘fine”.

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She added: "On getting on the bus I asked for Winteringham. Initially the driver said, 'yes that's fine', but then he said that one of the villages was closed. I told him the village wasn't closed and the roadworks were finished and that if the middle road was still closed, he could use Cliff Road, like the driver the night before. There was no way he would get stuck as there is a large turning circle in the village where the buses can turn if needed," she said.

The bus company said: “We are aware of an incident involving a passenger onboard our 350 service into Winteringham on Thursday, November 30. We take all incidents and concerns from passengers very seriously, and express our sincere apologies for any discomfort and inconvenience experienced by the passenger.

“Due to the ongoing roadworks there were several safety issues of concern, of which our driver expressed to the passenger at the time, and did their very best to balance safety concerns with the desire to assist her. We want to clarify that our drivers are responsible for making safety-related decisions based on their discretion and the information available to them at the time.

“It's essential to recognise that road conditions and safety considerations can change from one day to another. We are continuing to investigate this incident, and will take the necessary steps to ensure this type of situation is handled better in the future and to continue providing a safe and reliable public transport service for all of our passengers.”

Monica Charsley