‘Stranded’ after bus skipped stop
Jill’s anger at bus company’s poor response
A disabled passenger from Old Windsor has criticised a bus company's response after she was left stranded and unable to attend her hospital appointment earlier this year.
Jill Langford, 61, who is quadriplegic, submitted a complaint to First Bus after her carer indicated to the bus driver that they wanted to board in Straight Road but the bus skipped her stop and drove past her in January.
After being ‘left stranded’ which delayed her medical appointment, Jill had to then chase the transport provider for a response to her filed complaint only to hear the company was not responsible for bus stops.
She told the Express: “They didn’t even respond to my complaint – they didn’t even acknowledge whatever I wrote to them on that day. They didn’t respond to me, so my sister followed it up and asked them why they hadn’t given me a response. Their response apparently, is that the bus stop was closed off, and well that sadly wasn’t the case.
“All of Straight Road had been closed off on one side due to the gasworks but
there was nothing to suggest that the bus stop was closed – I wouldn’t be sitting at a bus stop that had been coned off would I? The number 8 bus was still running up and down that road.
“A response would have been nice – it’s not very nice being left at the bus stop when you’ve got an appointment.”
The journey takes 10 minutes by car to Princess Margaret Hospital but Jill said she relies on the bus when private transport isn’t available to her.
Being able to use public transport with ease is important for her independence, Jill added.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that before,” she said.
“Because I’m in a wheelchair, it’s going to take a while for me to order a decent taxi that will be able to take me so I had to cancel my appointment and [my sister] was left waiting at the hospital.
“Fortunately the hospital was very understanding but I had to rearrange and it took another two weeks to get the appointment which was quite important for me.”
Roadworks to replace gas lines were taking place in the vicinity and temporary traffic lights meant the road was busy and congested that afternoon.
Jill said the bus was ‘going at full speed’ and the driver raised his hand to say no and ‘seemed to be quite clear that he wasn’t stopping’.
A First Bus spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to hear that this passenger and their carer were unable to board the bus and missed their hospital appointment.
“We want to get our passengers to where they need to be, and we take their safety very seriously. Unfortunately, at the time, there were roadworks on the route and the repair company had failed to inform anyone of the suspension of that bus stop. Due to the temporary lights, it was unsafe to serve the bus stop, which had been coned off.
“This was an isolated incident, and was not the case that the stop was deliberately ‘skipped’.
“The complaint has been dealt with following our procedures, which included letting the passenger know the result of their complaint at the time.”