Bus driver tells disabled woman who asked for ramp to help her board 'for f**** sake, can’t you get the next one?

A bus driver left a disabled woman in tears after allegedly shouting and swearing at her boyfriend when he asked for the ramp to be lowered to help her get on board.

Robert Greenwood, the partner of wheelchair-bound Karen McDonald, claimed that the 289 driver in Croydon, South, London, told them: 'For f**** sake, can't you get the next one?'

Mr Greenwood, 49, said that he had told the driver he was going to report him, before he got out of his booth and screamed at the couple.

The father-of-two said: 'My partner was discriminated against just because of her disability. We travel on buses all the time and the staff are usually fantastic with us - we've never experienced anything like this before.

'When I asked for the ramp to be lowered for me to wheel her on, he muttered "for f***'s sake, can't you get the next one?"

'Once we were in our seats, I went up to the driver's booth and told him "I'm not happy with you, and I want your badge number so I can report you".

'He then pulled the bus over, got out of his seat and became aggressive with me - he was in a rage. He was extremely intimidating and my partner was shaken up by this.'

Mr Greenwood, who was a bus driver himself for 12 years before becoming a full-time carer for Miss McDonald, said they were originally taking the bus to an Ikea store - but needed to get the same one back to get home.

However, the couple were so fearful of coming face-to-face with the same driver that they took a taxi home - which cost them more than £30.

Mr Greenwood, who also cares for his autistic son, added: 'It was probably him knowing that I was a former bus driver which gave him the hump. Even his driving showed that he was in a temper.

'We were so glad to get off the bus and Karen was crying. We would usually get the 289 back to Croydon but got a cab home instead because we didn't want to get on the same bus with the same driver. It cost us £32.

'My wife suffers from fibromyalgia and she has fractures in her spine, as well. She can barely walk so why couldn't he just press a button to accommodate her like a normal person would?'

Tony Akers, Transport for London's head of bus operations, said: 'We are concerned to hear of this incident and are investigating it with Arriva, the operator of the 289 bus route. We expect the highest standard of public service from bus drivers

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3438770/Bus-driver-tells-disabled-woman-asked-ramp-help-board-f-sake-t-one.html#ixzz424DGP4Mg
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook