Bus Driver Suspended After Allegedly Forcing Mother And Twin Toddlers Off Bus Because Children Wouldn’t Stop Crying

A 33-year-old woman, Michelle Swan, was left in shock after a driver told her to get off the bus because her twin boys wouldn’t stop crying, according to the Daily Mail.

It was a cold and rainy day Thursday when Swan of Tonbridge, Kent, and her twin toddlers boarded the busy A21 bus after coming from a “Tunbridge Wells Hospital appointment because her son, Tiger, can’t walk properly and is having serial casting on his legs and feet all the time and he is learning to walk with them.”

She went on to say that “about every two weeks he goes to have new ones fitted. He has to have physio as well. We go about three or four times a month. I had tried everything to stop Rocco crying, but there is only so much you can do.”

With nowhere to sit, Swan had to stand in the aisle with her double pushchair as no one offered her a seat. Not long after boarding the bus, she stated that the driver – whose name has not been released to the public – began to yell at her, which upset her son even more.

When there was a traffic jam, the bus driver got out of his seat and approached Swan, telling her to give her child a piece of candy and get off the bus.

Swan pleaded with the bus driver to allow her to stay on the bus as she couldn’t get off with a set of twins in the middle of nowhere.

The mother was so shocked that the driver was kicking her off of the bus that it intimated her and she agreed to get off at the next bus stop.

“I was shaking and fighting back tears. I just froze, I felt awful,” said Swan.

She told reporters that she was on her way to the Tonbridge town center to pick up a prescription before returning home. Now that she and her twin boys were being thrown off the bus, she was forced to walk there in the cold and rain.

It was not immediately made clear how long Swan had to walk, but according to a Google maps picture, “the Vauxhall Inn bus stop can be seen in the distance – quite a walk to Tonbridge for Swan and her boys.”

When she returned home, she called the company and informed them about the incident and was told that the bus driver had recently returned to work following a suspension. Swan went on to say that she wanted the driver to apologize for kicking her and children off of the bus in the cold and rain because one of her toddlers was crying.

Following the incident, a spokesperson for the Autocar Bus and Coach Services released the following statement: “We spoke to Ms. Swan for around 15 minutes and listened carefully to everything she had to say.”

“Our manager apologized several times to her. We took down the code on her bus ticket so we could establish who the driver was. The driver was spoken to and given a day’s suspension.”

“We take complaints very seriously and our customer service and care is paramount to us and we do not tolerate any disrespectful behavior to our customers.”

Several social media users came to the bus driver’s defense, saying “I’ve seen parents on their phone and not doing anything to calm their children. Some parents deserve getting kicked off because they don’t try to discipline their children or even care,” said Jaz.

Allen K. Preston stated, “I’m sorry, but if your children are disturbing the rest of the bus, then getting off and walking, is the right thing to do. If they can’t walk, then get a taxi, so you’re not disturbing everyone else.”

[Featured Image by Kzenon/iStock]