degrading coach driver

festering_plates

Unfortunately I am unable to find a pacific message board to ask this question so I hope you don't mind if I use this one. Thanks.

The other week I was accompanying my 22 year old son with moderate learning disabilities to Preston Bus station to make sure he got on the right bus. I always make him a card telling the coach driver is destination and that somebody would be collecting him when the bus gets into Victoria bus station, Nottingham as he has a disability. I staple that to his ticket so the driver would see and read it.

The coach arrived on time and my son began to board with the rest of the passengers. I began to walk to the phone box to tell my brother what time he was expected to arrive at Nottingham and looked back to see the coach driver talking to my son so turned back as he has impaired speech so see what the problem was. Walking back I heard the coach driver talk to my son in the most degrading and disrespectful manner repeating what he was saying and mocking him. On hearing this I was appalled by his behaviour. He soon amended his tone on seeing me and looked shocked when I asked him what the problem was and why my son was not on the coach. He explained he was waiting for all the passengers to board as he had a open return and would have to see if they had any space, I could see the coach was quite empty. I said why did you feel the need to talk to my son in such a demeaning way. He said thats the mway I talk to everybody and if you have a complaint write to the company and then he walked back on the coach. At this point I was frankly upset and angre at is response and refused to let my son ride on a coach with such a ignorant plonker. So I need some advice, how far would you take this. I have wrote a letter to the coach company but feel it is my word against the coach drivers as my son would not been aware of the situation. Who else should i write too. Thanks ..Kara

Bossyboots

I think you ought to wait and see what response you get as what you do next really depends on that.

How long ago did you write? I would give a maximum of 14 days for a response and then consider what to do next.

chilli_dog

I am furious with how your son was treated and i'm only reading your post. glad i wasn't there.

If it was me i'd go for the nuclear option, letters, quoting disability discrimination act, local paper, mp etc etc.

However i have a big mouth!!

Good luck with this and don't be fobbed off.

Martin

festering_plates

On the National Express website they say they answer all complaints with in seven days. Its been about four since I wrote to them and still no response. I still feel agree after the incident and want an apology. The coach driver is the representative of this coach company I hold the company responsible. Could this be called disability discrimination. Thanks

libra10

I use Preston bus station occassionally and some of the bus drivers seem very arrogant and churlish. Others are fine, just depends who you get.

But this driver was totally out of order. Good luck

Bob2006

festering_plates wrote:

He explained he was waiting for all the passengers to board as he had a open return and would have to see if they had any space, I could see the coach was quite empty.

Not knowing this route very well I can't say for certain but just because the coach isn't full at Preston it doesn't mean that the coach isn't full further down the line. The driver will have a rough indication of his pick ups but when he takes an open ticket he is supposed to phone his control and they will make sure that the ticket can't be sold along the route and therefore prevent an overload. He is also supposed to phone his control at the time of departure to inform them that some passengers haven't shown up. Therefore the driver might have been waiting till time to make sure that he had enough seats for your son.
Thinking about it Preston-Nottingham doesn't seem like a direct route so it might have been worth going into Preston ticket office to make sure he had a booked seat all the way through to Nottingham as the original driver would only get him a seat on his coach and not any connection. If all the connections were full your son could of been stranded in Manchester/Sheffield/Birmingham etc.

None of that explains the way driver treated your son but it does explain why he wasn't put straight on the coach and that would of been the same for any passenger with an open ticket

beccam

Funny I've never heard of a fella called Kara??

Pollycat

Is this a record?

Dragging up a post dating back to July 2006.....

Where does the OP say 'he' is male?

DrScotsman

Pollycat wrote: »

Is this a record?

Dragging up a post dating back to July 2006.....

Where does the OP say 'he' is male?

Look at the OP's more recent completely contradictory posts.

Takoda

DrScotsman wrote: »

Look at the OP's more recent completely contradictory posts.

Judging by the last few previous posts the OP either has serious mental health issues or is a troll. I favour the latter explanation.

HTH

Pollycat

Actually, I have looked at a few of the OP's posts.

What I think is that there are 2 people using the same username.

Some of the posts are well structured, either asking for advice or giving it - others are simply a load of tosh.