Schoolgirl kicked off bus told she couldn't use child's ticket by driver
A mum has been left furious after her daughter was kicked off the bus because she was using a child's ticket.
The schoolgirl, aged just 15, was told to get off the bus by the driver while on her way home on her own from a dental appointment.
The mum, who did not wish to be named, said she could not accompany her daughter as she was on crutches.
The girl, from Bristol, purchased a child's return ticket, which is for children aged between five and 15. A young person's ticket must be purchased by teenagers from 16.
Speaking to Bristol Live she said: “My daughter had an appointment at Bristol Dental Hospital. I normally go with her but I’ve recently had surgery and didn’t fancy trying to get on a bus with crutches.”
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First Bus has apologised to the mum for her daughter's ordeal (David Betts Photography)Her daughter caught the bus from Shirehampton to Broadmead to get to her appointment with no problems.
She said: “After her appointment, my daughter got on to the number 4 bus at the bottom of Union Street.
"When she got on the bus, she scanned her ticket so all good, however the driver turned round to her and said ‘You can’t use that’. When she asked why, he said ‘you’re too old'.
“As she’s 15, she doesn’t have any ID, for example her driving licence. The driver refused to let her travel. When she told him again that she was 15, he said ‘no you’re not, move out the way so the queue of people behind you can get on”.
The teen was forced to buy an adult ticket before she was allowed to travel. She also told her mum that the same happened to another girl behind her in the queue, who was forced to get off the bus.
The angry mum said her daughter felt scared and intimidated by the driver and asked if children need to carry identification to prove their age when using public transport.
A spokesperson for First Bus West of England said: “Our drivers do an amazing job, but their main focus is on getting our customers to their destinations safely. This means they often need to make instant decisions around ticketing, whilst also being vigilant to attempted ticket fraud, which does happen from time to time.
“However, on this occasion, following investigation, the driver should have given the benefit of the doubt to allow the customer to travel on a child ticket. The safety of our customers and staff is always our number one priority and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused,” he said.
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