A BUS COMPANY has launched an investigation after a driver refused to allow a mum to take her son’s pram on board.

Michelle Stanbank says she felt humiliated when a bus driver refused to let her travel on the 524 First Manchester service when it pulled into the stop on Dumers Lane, Radcliffe.

Mrs Stanbank had given herself plenty of time to get from Radcliffe into Bury with her two young children on Thursday last week.

The mum, aged 31, was going to a 10am hairdressing appointment with her daughter Maizie-Amelia, aged four and 11-week-old, Oscar.

They arrived at the Dumers Lane bus stop at about 9.20am and after a 15 minute wait for the bus, one pulled up.

Mrs Stanbank said: “Once it arrived I asked my daughter to let a lady on first as she had been waiting for a while.

“The bus stopped but the bus driver didn’t even open the doors for the lady straight away.

“He pointed his finger at my baby’s pram, wagged it and proceeded to mouth ‘there’s no room for that!’

“Once he knew I had acknowledged him he let the lady on and began to drive off with me my baby and my little girl stood at the bus stop alone.”

She added that the bus still had plenty of empty seats.

Mrs Stanbank said the experience was ‘awkward’ adding: “I looked at my daughter and I didn’t know what to do.

“I didn’t know how to explain what had happened to a four-year-old. It was a little bit humiliating.”

Mrs Stanbank managed to catch the next bus and made her appointment in time but asked her husband to pick her up in town rather than risk a bus ride again.

A spokesman for First Manchester apologised for the lack of service Mrs Stanbank received and say they have been in touch with her.

He said: “We’re sorry to hear about this incident and we have launched an internal investigation to better understand why this happened. We have made contact with the customer in question to discuss the matter.

“Our drivers are trained to apply sound judgement when judging if passengers can be carried and be courteous.

“It is possible that in rare occasions passengers with prams, mobility scooters, wheelchairs or bulky items cannot be carried, for instance if the bus is near to full capacity.

“However, regardless of the circumstances, at all times we expect our drivers to explain why a passenger cannot be carried in a manner that meets our customer service standards.

“If the customer is disappointed we apologise for the lack of service she’s received.”