A disabled teenager who uses a wheelchair was left alone in a West Yorkshire town after a bus driver refused to let him onboard and simply drove off. Curtis, 15, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) was waiting to catch the bus home with a friend on the evening of April 8. According to his mum, the driver of the bus, operated by First Bus, did not attempt to get the ramp out for his wheelchair. After the bus drove off, the stranded young boy called his dad for help.

Mum, Hayley Harris, 36, told YorkshireLive: “Luckily his dad was able to go and pick him up. He’s recently had a problem with the motor on his chair and can only drive short distances as it has cut out a few times.”

“I don’t know what would have happened if his dad hadn’t picked up the call right away.

Curtis said the driver simply let his friend on, closed the doors and drove off. It’s as if the driver was too lazy to get out and put the ramp down.”

The mother of the 15-year-old was mortified once again after she spotted a woman on a local Facebook group had seen the incident and posted about it.

The post reads: “What an absolute joke that bus driver is for not letting a child in a wheelchair on the bus with his mate. He let his mate on but not the young lad in his wheelchair, what a joke.”

Hayley is the mum of two disabled sons, Curtis and a 12-year-old, as well as a five-year-old daughter. She believes barriers to public transport can discourage many disabled people from travelling out and about.

“My son is trying to get his own independence and incidents like this are discouraging. At the moment, he is still able to stand but when he gets older, he will be completely wheelchair-bound”.

A spokesperson for First Bus said: “We are investigating the circumstances that led to this situation, including speaking to the driver involved to understand all the details.”

Source: Read Full Article