A bus firm has admitted it is ‘concerned’ about complaints made about the treatment of disabled passengers by its drivers.
It comes after Bedfordshire on Sunday reported last week how wheel-chairbound, Maura Walsh, 75, was ignored SEVEN times by Stagecoach buses as she waited outside Bedford South Wing Hospital in August.
Despite lodging a complaint with the company on the day, she had still not received a response from the company six weeks later.
BoS has since received letters from other Stagecoach customers with similar issues raised about both driver behaviour and a lack of response from management.
Nedeljka Jovanovic from Brickhill, Bedford, claims that she is continually ignored by drivers. Despite receiving a formal apology letter from Stagecoach in March promising to investigate and correct the situation she said that the same problem continues.
She added: “Even when I produce the letter the senior manager from Stagecoach has sent me clearly stating they must let me on board they refuse to read it and drivers have arrogantly and aggressively waved me off the bus. I have been reduced to tears over this.
“I do not know what else I can do. Last week I had to get a taxi home five times as a result, at a cost of £30 and this has been happening for months.” Another bus user Mrs Fountaine of Ampthill Road, Bedford said: “The treatment of Maura Walsh was very disgusting.
I have complained many, many times and told the person would be spoken to. We know management don’t do anything whatsoever, it’s just to fob us off.” A spokesman for Stagecoach said: “These complaints are a concern.
“It is hard to track individual cases but I would be pleased to investigate them further if the customers concerned provide specific details.
“There is a clear policy regarding disabled passengers and I am satisfied that drivers are sufficiently trained in this every year. All complaints made by customers to Stagecoach are treated as efficiently and equally as possible.”
