An Aberdeen mum has claimed her 11-year-old daughter was left stranded on Union Street after a bus suddenly halted its service.
Lily-Lee Adams was on her way to Kittybrewster School when the First Bus 23 service came to a sudden stop on Union Street.
It was the first time the youngster had been on the bus herself on June 28, and mum Leighanne Craig said she “panicked” after being told the bus would not be carrying on to Kittybrewster.
Ms Craig, from the Summerhill area of the city, says the bus normally “runs like clockwork”.
But on June 28, she got a call from Lily-Lee at about 8.15am telling her she’d been “put off” the bus on Union Street.
When she asked her daughter what happened, Lily-Lee told her “the driver put me off and said he wasn’t going anywhere else”, also claiming the driver did not tell her what alternative bus to catch.
First Bus is now investigating the incident.
Mrs Craig said “She’s not really sure of the other bus stops or where to go and she does suffer anxiety, so she was a wee bit panicked.”
She stayed on the phone with her daughter and reassured her, while checking when the next bus would arrive.
Driver should have showed ‘compassion’
However, Mrs Craig was worried that her 11-year-old daughter, who is “not one to wander about herself” was alone in the centre of Aberdeen.
The incident left Lily-Lee in a “panic” and “really stressed out” and she does not want to travel on her own again.
Mrs Craig believes the driver should have helped the youngster and shown some “compassion”.
“The driver could have explained to her, he could have showed her where to go, because at the end of the day he’s the bus driver, he should have some responsibility,” she said.
“I would hope the drivers would be a bit more caring and if they see a kid on the bus themselves, ask where they’re going and give them a wee bit of guidance and a wee bit of help to maybe reassure them that there’s another bus coming.”
Investigation
A spokesman for First Aberdeen said: “Our drivers receive intensive training to provide the very best customer care as part of their day-to-day duties.
“It is our policy to not refuse children travel and not to ask a child to get off one our vehicles and leave them at a side of the road. If the vehicle had a fault or had to go back to the depot, it is expected the driver will wait until the bus behind has caught up and transfer the passengers across to continue their journey.
“We are now looking into the circumstances around this incident.”
Conversation