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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU? Bus driver refused to let me on the bus

260 replies

tulipkisses · 20/03/2026 17:12

Where I live buses can be infrequent and often delayed due to awful traffic. We also don’t have tap on/off, we have to show the driver our tickets or purchase one as we get on.

I work about a five minute walk from the bus stop. As I got to the bus stop this evening the bus was just pulling away, I checked the app and there was another one coming three minutes later.

It turned up and I put my arm out to hail it. It pulled in, someone got off and I stepped on. The driver refused to let me on because I “should have been on the earlier one”. He said if I walked onto the bus he wouldn’t pull away and would wait for me to get off, and he didn’t care about sitting there for hours to see if I’d stay on. He said he knew I was “only getting on this one for a faster journey” because it was empty compared to the one in front.

I have never experienced this in my life, I have no idea what to do? I have the number plate and I’m considering reporting it but this is just totally bizarre, should I have waited for the one after this one?

OP posts:
Secretseverywhere · 21/03/2026 01:01

I think you should report it some drivers are bonkers. I live rurally and there is an infrequent bus that isn’t well used. A driver took to going around it with all the internal lights off of an evening and not stopping.

Someone’s teenager got stranded and they complained and the bus company checked the cameras and it all came out. They did get a free pass for a month to compensate.

Villanousvillans · 21/03/2026 04:18

Gosh how utterly bizarre. Do report this incident and let us know what they have to say.

GnomeDePlume · 21/03/2026 04:58

My guess is that bus driver knew he had built up 'spare' time by catching up to the bus in front. He was looking forward to having an unofficial break somewhere.

wonderwhynot · 21/03/2026 05:09

Crazy and dangerous driver. I often let late running bus pass to get emptier one behind. Clearly you need to report the driver for compromising safety of passengers. What if was a child in this situation? On occasion when a bus has not stopped on an infrequent service, when I have had my hand out, I have immediately reported this on the companies complaint line which can be open all day and receive an instant reply.

Ionlymakejokestodistractmyself · 21/03/2026 05:09

Purplecatshopaholic · 20/03/2026 18:21

Eh? Why on earth did you get off? It’s a bus. He drives it. Passengers get in and off. I’d have sat there and phoned the bus company while sitting there. He sounds like bus driving is not the job for him…!

Probably because it was 5pm, the guy was aggressive and op didn't want to cause the other perfectly innocent passengers a delay due to this unhinged and threatening man.

Also no bloody way you can get through to our bus service on the phone and definitely not at 5pm!

myotherscarsaskoda · 21/03/2026 05:48

That's bonkers and so is he.

Just a petty jobsworth.

I agree you need to report him.

PersephoneParlormaid · 21/03/2026 06:38

I was once on a bus years ago going to a different town, and it goes into several villages on the way. The bus was quite late as we got to the last village, so he pulled the bus over and asked if anyone needed to go into the village ( never mind the poor people who might be waiting to get in it)as if not he’d go round it to be quicker.
One person said they were getting off there, so the bus driver huffed and puffed and drove very angrily after that.

PrismRain · 21/03/2026 06:39

Today, on Things That Never Happened.

GoneBackToTheWorld · 21/03/2026 06:44

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

wearemorethanourboots · 21/03/2026 06:51

I can well believe this, some bus drivers (like some people in general obviously) are just a bit unhinged! Not the same, but I was once waiting for my bus home from a station rather than a stop. The bus was parked up, but the doors were closed and no bus driver in evidence, which was very odd. Lots of people waiting. Because of the layout, the next number 42 (or whatever it was) pulled up behind but couldn't take everyone because it was blocked behind the mystery closed bus. The driver went off and found the other driver, who came and unlocked the bus and let everyone on, clearly furious.

He then proceeded to drive the route at a ridiculous speed (bearing in mind it was a double decker in London) so all the people standing were wobbling about everywhere, ignored everyone pressing the bell to get off and eventually stopped in a random spot a couple of miles down the road and ordered everyone off. Some people were way past their stop, some people hadnt reached theirs. It was utterly bizarre.

Mum28383 · 21/03/2026 07:23

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

I’ve had this a couple of times where our bus will be so late, it changes from a service that visits all the villages to an express service that skips them. I track them on the app and the service disappears off the map.

Once I had a medical appointment for my child and I was also carrying a young baby. I was furious when the someone decided that the bus I needed was going to skip the villages. Luckily I had built in enough contingency time so that waiting for the next bus an hour later we were very late but we could still do the appointment.

While waiting at the bus stop I called to angrily complain (not the first time). They suggested I take a taxi and they would reimburse me, I didn’t feel I could holding a small baby and knowing it was a fast A road most of the way.

PickledPup · 21/03/2026 07:32

Same thing happened to me about 2 years ago. I wound up arguing with him and he finally relented when I said I was going to make a complaint. Weird little power trip he was having and I agree with a PP, no way he would have done it if I was a 6ft bloke

ECGG · 21/03/2026 07:36

It's entirely possible that his bus was being withdrawn to regulate the service if he was running within 3 minutes of the previous bus. This happens quite a lot, particularly on routes with unpredictable traffic conditions, to ensure later services run to timetable. Whilst it doesn't excuse his attitude, he maybe saved you being asked to get off at a stop before your intended one to wait for the next bus.

TheZanyScroller · 21/03/2026 08:02

YANBU

He makes no sense. It's public transport. If the stop for the bus is your stop then what is he complaining for? You can get on whichever bus you choose.

Report him. He's off his rocker.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 21/03/2026 08:03

I never heard anything so daft. He sounds unhinged! Definitely report.

BeSpoonyTurtle · 21/03/2026 08:12

tulipkisses · 20/03/2026 17:12

Where I live buses can be infrequent and often delayed due to awful traffic. We also don’t have tap on/off, we have to show the driver our tickets or purchase one as we get on.

I work about a five minute walk from the bus stop. As I got to the bus stop this evening the bus was just pulling away, I checked the app and there was another one coming three minutes later.

It turned up and I put my arm out to hail it. It pulled in, someone got off and I stepped on. The driver refused to let me on because I “should have been on the earlier one”. He said if I walked onto the bus he wouldn’t pull away and would wait for me to get off, and he didn’t care about sitting there for hours to see if I’d stay on. He said he knew I was “only getting on this one for a faster journey” because it was empty compared to the one in front.

I have never experienced this in my life, I have no idea what to do? I have the number plate and I’m considering reporting it but this is just totally bizarre, should I have waited for the one after this one?

Were both buses run by the same company?

Arrowarrowarrow · 21/03/2026 08:12

If this happened, the driver is absolutely nuts and doesn’t seem to understand how buses work.

YourJoyousDenimExpert · 21/03/2026 08:18

Definitely report him. His job is to pick up passengers who are at the bus stop- and let them off at a stop they choose. His attitude is very concerning - what if you were a child coming back from school? Or someone in a wheelchair? Or a parent with a pram? Sounds like he has his own rule system. It’s also silly really as eventually his bus will overtake the other one and then be the ‘first’ one - so he will have to pick up people then.
Very weird and his bosses need to know.

jeaux90 · 21/03/2026 08:28

Bus driver is batshit.

AnonymousMama87 · 21/03/2026 08:31

When I was 11 getting a bus home from school the first few weeks of secondary school, a bunch of older kids were pressing the bell repeatedly and the driver announced that he wouldn't be letting anyone in our uniform off if they pressed it more than once. Well they didn't stop, and so the driver sped past my stop and the next one despite me trying to get his attention and the older kids all laughing and blocking my way. By time he stopped I had no idea where I was and this was pre mobile phones. I eventually got home in tears, I still remember how scary it was 30 years later!

Starseeking · 21/03/2026 08:35

Sounds like he was on some sort of weird power trip; a lot of bus drivers do weird things like this.

I used to live opposite a bus stop, and used to do my food shop at 6am on Saturday mornings when the big supermarket opened. As I went to get in the car one morning, I saw there was someone at the bus stop and nodded hello as you when there’s only 2 of you in the road early morning.

I got in the car getting comfortable, and saw the lady put her arm out for the bus…he drove straight past her yet I could see he had about 6 or 7 passengers on the bus so it was definitely in service!

I was so enraged for her that I stopped, told her I’d just witnessed what the driver had done and I’d back her if she wanted to put in a complaint. I also gave her a lift to her destination, which was 5 minutes from where I was going, as the next bus wouldn’t have arrived for another 30 minutes.

Edited to add that the woman was a care worker trying to get to her workplace at a hone for the elderly. She would have been late for work and likely reprimanded due to what that bus driver did. Me giving her a lift meant she actually got there 15 minutes early.

I’ve seen and experienced similar and concluded that bus drivers are a law unto themselves. People should always complain about this type of nasty behaviour so the bus company can do something about it.

shhblackbag · 21/03/2026 08:52

Wtf is this madness? Report.

teletubbyy · 21/03/2026 08:55

PropitiousJump · 20/03/2026 22:25

Was this the driver in question?😁

No way, he’d have let any woman on !

Flymehomejeff · 21/03/2026 09:00

Report. It is none of his business which bus you decide to get on.

FrangipaniBlue · 21/03/2026 09:07

Even if the OP had deliberately let the other bus go to catch this one because it’s quicker….. so what??

the guy was bonkers