A DISABLED student has been left stranded at her bus stop this winter because some First Cymru staff have apparently barred her for making a complaint.  

Elsa Morgan-Pientka, a Swansea University student, was told that she couldn’t board the number 4 bus after a conductor told her she had “caused trouble before”.

Since the beginning of this year, she has been refused travel on the bus seven times.

Elsa catches the no 4 bus to university from Swansea city centre but last term made a complaint to the bus company after an incident with a conductor.

“I was going down the ramp when he shoved me off. There was no need and I wasn’t expecting it and it really hurt my neck.

“Then in the January the problems started. On the 8th of January at the Quadrant bus stop, the purple bendy bus number 4 stopped and allowed all the other passengers to get on.

“When I asked for the ramp to be lowered, the conductor refused because “I had caused trouble before” and had made a complaint against her colleague.

“When I asked to speak to the driver, the conductor opened the door to the cabin and the driver turned around in his seat and also said that he wasn’t prepared to help me because his colleague had been reprimanded and nearly lost his job “because of you”.

“When I challenged this by asking if they were not allowing any wheelchair users on the bus, they avoided answering me and continued to tell me how much of a fuss I had caused by complaining about their colleague.

“They refused to give me their names or any information that could identify them. I ended up taking a photo of the driver and conductor.

“I am extremely stressed and anxious now about getting on buses because it’s a fight almost every time.”

Ms Morgan-Pientka has also contacted the police hate crimes unit regarding the matter.

First Group Buses, who owns First Cymru, operates in almost 30 cities in the United Kingdom. On the First Cymru website section regarding wheelchairs, it reads: “As part of our commitment to providing accessible travel for wheelchair users virtually all our buses have a dedicated area for wheelchair users”.

Ms Morgan-Pientka wrote to the bus company about the issue, but they had failed to reply until The Waterfront began investigating.

A spokesperson from First Cymru said: “We categorically refute any suggestion that our drivers are deliberately refusing Ms Morgan-Pientka travel. We are well aware of our requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act and all our staff are trained in disability awareness.

“We have noted the concerns raised by Ms Morgan-Pientka in her letter and in our reply to her have explained our policies regarding the carriage of wheelchair users.

“We have also offered to meet with her directly to discuss the issues she has raised, with a view to finding a resolution that makes it easier for her to travel on our buses.

“If a driver is unable to board a disabled person because for instance the wheelchair space is already occupied by another wheelchair user, the driver must stop, explain the situation and advise the person when the next bus is due.”

First Cymru claim that they only received one recent complaint from Ms Morgan-Pientka, although she disputes this, stating she has called them many times to complain about poor service.