Bus driver refused to make passenger leave

You both should have been kicked off the bus neither of you handled it well threatening each other. If the bus was full driver shouldn’t have let you on and because he did let you on he should have asked for luggage etc to be moved so you could use the wheelchair space. Was you in a wheelchair for the bus ride?

What they can do is refuse to move the bus. This usually compels the no compliant passenger to move.
that said we should expect better busses in London.
in Spain there are busses which can accommodate multiple wheelchairs and buggies.
we need to demand more.

All he could do was ask but he cannot forcably remove people.

That wasn't all he could do.

He could've NOT lowered the ramp and allowed the OP to get on the bus and sit in the aisle.

The reason buses have wheelchair spaces is to keep the wheelchair user and other passengers safe.

Exactly this!

OP has already admitted to threatening people with a walking stick & no doubt verbally abusive as well. The bus driver has the right to refuse to drive if someone is threatening violence.

Yes wheelchairs have priority over push chairs in a wheelchair space but the driver has no power to enforce that. They drive the bus they are not security guards or police! All he could do was ask but he cannot forcably remove people.

If the bus is full & overcrowded then you can't force paying passengers already on the bus to get off. You have the right to request luggage be moved & buggies folded but you can't just remove people from the bus.

WTF? 🤦‍♀️

The space is FOR wheelchair users.

What's not right about the mother either folding her buggy, or getting off the bus and catching the one behind?

The bus driver should have requested that the wheelchair space was vacated and cleared of luggage, but they can't force people to do this.

I don't think you should have told the man to move and then threaten him with a stick when he didn't comply - its aggressive and maybe why nobody came to your defence.

if you give them the time it happened they can work out which bus it was. the time and the stop you got on.

It's how badly accessible the buses are that's the problem. There should be more space for wheelchair users and pushchairs. The current space really isn't fit for purpose.

I remember seeing a wheelchair user demand a mum with a tiny baby move so they could use the space. The mum ended up having to get off the bus because there just wasn't enough space. Didn't really seem right to me.

Drivers aren't recruited, trained or insured to get into physical interactions

He wasn't driving safely.

He had an unsecured wheelchair on the bus, blocking the aisle.

If the bus caught fire it could severely hamper escape and if God forbid it crashed or braked sharply, the wheelchair and the OP could've been propelled towards the passengers.

I don't see how the driver could actually make anyone leave, short of in a headlock! I've been in situations where if someone wouldn't make way for a wheelchair user the driver turns the engine off. Then the passengers get stuck in, there's a bit of shouting and I get out and walk.

Yes they do, I've seen it more than once and have lived here all my life.

They also have a very loud alarm they can sound if there's any trouble on the bus.

I'm not sure what the alarm is for, (probably to alert people to call the police) but I've seen it used once and the aggressive passengers (teenage kids in this instance) got off the bus very quickly.

The roads are mostly gridlocked anyway, so a driver refusing to drive off wouldn't change that too much.

However, this driver shouldn't have lowered the ramp and let the OP on anyway, as that just added to the problem and made it unsafe for both her and the passengers.

I think bus drivers up my way earn less than a quid over minimum wage. Unsociable hours, abusive passengers, pushy management, it’s quite a lot of responsibility for poor wages. I dare say it grinds you down over time, head down, just get through your shift.

Sorry to hear this happened to you.

Im similar situations I have seen, the driver usually refuses to move the bus until whoever needs to take action does so. The wrath of other passengers being delayed usually sees the offender take action.

People are so violent these days, it's no wonder drivers sit behind screens, and they shouldn't be getting involved in a physical level at all. Don't blame the driver for this, it's not their fault people behave like this.

Bus drivers are paid to drive safely. They can ask people to move, but cannot make them move. If they refuse to drive the bus, then rather than one angry person they could face dozens who are being delayed. Bus drivers can't win, and the travelling public (whether passengers or in other vehicles) often blame them for everything.

She was in her wheel chair being abused by a thug and she picked up her stick to defend herself cause no one else would. Good on her for sticking up for herself against an arsehole.

The people occupying the disabled bay should have moved for you. Unless they themselves were disabled? The guy sounds horrible. It might not have been clear to the driver what was happening between you two. If he wasn't actually holding up the bus then I guess the driver considered it a disagreement between the two of you. I think it is really hard for drivers when there's a row. If the guy threatened you you should report him to the police. I'm not sure about reporting the bus driver though.

then they are suppose to get off… same with prams if there is no where to go you are meant to get off, can see why the drivers don’t want to get involved will get a brick through the window where i am if you forced someone off.

Shocked at posters defending this behaviour and saying drivers should not get involved.

Not all bus drivers are men. Would you expect a small woman to leave the cab to confront an aggressive male passenger? Bus companies' rules about what drivers should or shouldn't do must apply to all drivers equally.

I don’t think bus drivers try that in London. They could cause major gridlock!

@TwattyMcFuckFace and @TWETMIRF
Ah, thank you!
I never thought of that and it's good to be educated!😊

I wouldn't complain because it may come back to bite you.Your threatening of the man with a stick was way worse than anything he did.

I agree and said that way up the thread, right towards the beginning.