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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Made to get off the bus

122 replies

RedCandyApple · 24/12/2021 21:52

I was out today with my son, he had his scooter with him that has led light up wheels, it’s a push along scooter that ride with your feet, the lights on the wheels are powered by batteries, he is only 7. We wanted to get on the bus and the driver asked me if it was an electric scooter, I told him that it wasn’t and walked onto the bus and put my buggy in the pram area then put the scooter under the pram basket, the driver then got out of the seat opened the door and followed me down the bus, he told me it was an electric scooter because he “saw lights” I told him that it wasn’t and that it was powered by batteries, he was having none of it he refused to acknowledge it wasn’t an electric scooter, it’s only a tiny scooter and my son is only 7 there is no way it even looks like an electric scooter. All he kept repeating was an electric scooter because of the lights and told us to get off the bus! He refused to look at the scooter for me to show him it wasn’t. It was pouring down with rain and dark outside but he made me and my children get back off the bus or he wasn’t going to move. I felt really intimidated and got off the bus, even as I was getting off with my children he was pressing to shut the doors before my 4 year old had got off nearly trapping her in them, as I got off I told him I would be making a complaint so went to the front of the bus to take a picture of the license plate, at that point he came out the driver area again and open the bus doors and started shouting at me, I got a very good picture of him aibu to make to find his behaviour shocking?

OP posts:
Kanaloa · 24/12/2021 22:32

@Annike4

Bus driver made a mistake, so you are going to get him sacked so you feel powerful. He's probably taken abuse all week from people refusing to wear masks, abusive drunks etc. Get a life :(
So ‘abusive drunks’ abuse the driver, which makes it acceptable for him to abuse customers?

No, it doesn’t work that way. And complaining about poor service isn’t ‘getting someone sacked.’ If you behave badly to customers then you get yourself sacked.

ThePlumVan · 24/12/2021 22:32

How awful ! I’d have been tempted to plant myself on the bus, but it would have been too grim for the children.
Complain complain complain and demand an apology.

SnakesandKnives · 24/12/2021 22:33

@LampLighter414

I can only assume that potentially big lithium batteries in scooters or ebikes aren't allowed on the bus for safety reasons.

But yes his treatment seems OTT

I was just trying to work out what the possible justification could be for this even if it WAS an electric scooter…..guess it’s probably that, but seems a massive overreaction for a v small risk if that is the case

Chucking a mum and kids off a bus in the dark and rain when you’re in the wrong? Fuck no! Def report

TowandaForever · 24/12/2021 22:34

@Annike4

Bus driver made a mistake, so you are going to get him sacked so you feel powerful. He's probably taken abuse all week from people refusing to wear masks, abusive drunks etc. Get a life :(
Rubbish. He behaved really badly.
TowandaForever · 24/12/2021 22:34

If it's stagecoach even if you complain they never do anything about it.

Joelijane · 24/12/2021 22:34

Total bastard, clearly has issues, so sorry this happened to you. Hard enough getting buses with kid without that shit xxx

SnarkyBag · 24/12/2021 22:34

@sleepyhoglet

Wonder if he is on the spectrum and doesn't understand. You certainly need to flag this. So unreasonable. Had you paid for a ticket as well? I would be fuming and would have tried to refuse to leave. I wonder what the other passengers thought
Fucking stupid statement
Freecuthbert · 24/12/2021 22:35

@Annike4

Bus driver made a mistake, so you are going to get him sacked so you feel powerful. He's probably taken abuse all week from people refusing to wear masks, abusive drunks etc. Get a life :(
Oh don't be ridiculous. Customers should rightly complain if they receive a terrible service such as this one--being thrown off the bus with your young children when you have done nothing wrong. It's not complaining over nothing, is it? He wouldn't be sacked for this as a one-off incident, but it would prevent it from happening again in future. However, if it's not a one-off and he's regularly a dick then yes it could lead to him losing his job, and that would be for the best.
Original poster
RedCandyApple · 24/12/2021 22:36

@Annike4

Bus driver made a mistake, so you are going to get him sacked so you feel powerful. He's probably taken abuse all week from people refusing to wear masks, abusive drunks etc. Get a life :(
If he made a mistake he could have owned up to it being a mistake when I showed him but he didn’t he kept insisting it was, I think he realised it wasn’t but didn’t want to look stupid so kept up with it, even when I took the pic of his registration he came out opened the door and started shouting at me, I have a pic of this. It was cold, dark, wet and we was left at a bus stop with small children.
OP posts:
Boatingforthestars · 24/12/2021 22:38

The justification is due to a tube train fire caused by an electric scooter, I heard it on the radio. Pretty sure electric scooters are banned on all public transport in London.

It's the same things as the ecigaretes that kept going bang, cheap Chinese batteries not looked after correctly.

OP your sons scooter is absolutely not an electric scooter, those wheels are no different to flashing trainer soles.

Boatingforthestars · 24/12/2021 22:39

Go straight to the local paper and tell them at the same time as complaining, they won't won't the bad press and will be forced to act.

PomegranateQueen · 24/12/2021 22:42

Bus driver made a mistake, so you are going to get him sacked so you feel powerful. He's probably taken abuse all week from people refusing to wear masks, abusive drunks etc. Get a life

So that makes it ok for a man to shout at a lone woman with children and leave them to walk home in the dark? Oh and nearly trapping a small child's arm in the door.

YANBU OP, that man was a prize twat. I'm sorry that happened to you and your DCs, especially on Christmas eve

neatlittlerows · 24/12/2021 22:42

@sleepyhoglet

Wonder if he is on the spectrum and doesn't understand. You certainly need to flag this. So unreasonable. Had you paid for a ticket as well? I would be fuming and would have tried to refuse to leave. I wonder what the other passengers thought
Well, I’m on the spectrum and I don’t understand what you think autism is.

Being a twat =/= autism. Autism also doesn’t mean a lack of intelligence.

🙄

Grumpysister · 24/12/2021 22:43

Sounds pretty stressful - how did you get home in the end?

Esspee · 24/12/2021 22:44

I expect you will find the bus company very receptive to your complaint. I complained to ours about a driver who spent the whole journey arguing animatedly on his mobile phone whilst driving erratically.

I received an excellent letter thanking me and never saw that driver again.

RepentBirthingPersonFucker · 24/12/2021 22:44

WTF is it with the fucking spectrum Hmm
Most of my family have ASD and would still understand what a kids scooter is. None would throw a woman and children off a bus

kittenkipper · 24/12/2021 22:44

Oh op I'm so sorry! He's clearly being unreasonable and is an awful awful human to have left a woman and her young children. (One in pram ffs!) out in the rain on Christmas Eve. Enjoy you Christmas, and then complain. Demand an explanation and action taken against this driver. Chucking a woman and her baby and young son onto the street in the dark and rain on Christmas Eve is the stuff of bad publicity dreams- any local rag/ radio would jump on the story. How did you get home in the end?

Doubledenimrock · 24/12/2021 22:45

I would have been tempted to tell him that unless he got on with his job of driving the bus and stop illegally threatening you , I would be contacting the police and let them sort it. I would not be standing alone in the dark with little children

Kassalah · 24/12/2021 22:47

That's awful! How did you all get home?

sleepyhoglet · 24/12/2021 22:47

@neatlittlerows because he was being very black and white about whether the scooter was electric or not. That's why I mentioned it.

SnarkyBag · 24/12/2021 22:50

[quote sleepyhoglet]@neatlittlerows because he was being very black and white about whether the scooter was electric or not. That's why I mentioned it.[/quote]
Yeah that’s not really an example of how it rigid thinking related to ASD might look. News flash not all people with ASD are black and white thinkers.

How about you don’t post about shit you don’t understand

ASimpleLampoon · 24/12/2021 22:50

Go to the local Press OP. The company will be sure to take action then.

Hearwego · 24/12/2021 22:50

He sounds over zealous ,but sacked?
What would that achieve? Have one less person to drive buses ( isn’t there a driver shortage?)
Sacking a working man on Xmas, so put him on the dole and take more money from taxes Ian the right answer...
I think he should be reprimanded and told off and the OP given an apology, obviously once why’ve heard his side too.
I don’t like this idea that the public think they can sack someone so easily !

ParisOrBust · 24/12/2021 22:51

They must have been recently told about this as I was on a bus yesterday when they refused to let someone board with a scooter. I didn't clock whether it was electric or not! Poor you - I would definitely mention it as they may need to clarify with drivers what is or isn't allowed!

MsTSwift · 24/12/2021 22:53

Always suspicious that it seems to be the mothers with young children who bear the brunt of officious and aggressive behaviour from men with a little bit of power 🙄 not the rowdy all male groups …

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