Could bus companies really do this to a victim of bullying?

[175mph]

Last night, I was on a late night Stagecoach bus and someone got on and as we were nearing the bus station, the driver said to them, (they intended to get the same one again, it was a circular but their home was near to the start of the route, so they stayed on) they shouldn't actually leave the bus as a gang of teenagers were hanging around the bus station and had been bullying this guy who got on after me for over a year he revealed to me, accusing him of doing nasty stuff to them I won't post about on here.

He asked the driver although it's never happened yet, if they kept smashing the bus windows by throwing objects like bricks everytime I'm on the bus, would Stagecoach have me banned from all their buses even though it's not my fault and I'm just an innocent passenger trying to get to where I need to be, I mean I didn't ask to be bullied in any way, and if I did get banned, it would feel like I'm being punished for it.

The driver said yes they potentially could as they would have to put their own interests first and inconveniencing a passenger who's done nothing wrong far outweighs the sheer costs of having to constantly fix broken windows.

Before anybody here calls me out for posting something ridiculous, I think it is too, but was wondering if bus companies can really do this to someone in the given situation and if yes, would you side with the bus company or sympathise with the bullying victim?

And if they can't, can the bus company be called for discrimination if they banned the passenger in the given situation?

 

[Bletchleyite]

First of all, a bus company is a private business, and assuming they aren't operating a tendered service they are, like any other private business, totally at liberty to ban anyone they wish for any reason they wish (or no reason) provided there is not an express or implied reason that it is due to that person having a legally protected characteristic, such as gender, sexuality etc. It doesn't have to be fair per-se.

Secondly, I can't quite understand the story?

 

[175mph]

First of all, a bus company is a private business, and assuming they aren't operating a tendered service they are, like any other private business, totally at liberty to ban anyone they wish for any reason they wish (or no reason) provided there is not an express or implied reason that it is due to that person having a legally protected characteristic, such as gender, sexuality etc. It doesn't have to be fair per-se.

Secondly, I can't quite understand the story?

The person being bullied by a gang of teenagers in that they keep following him around the streets saying he has done inappropriate things to them and sometimes had rocks thrown at him from them out in the streets and is concerned that when they are on the bus the gang will wait on street corners, attack the bus with rocks etc everytime they see him and then a pattern will be seen and then he'll no longer be able to use the buses.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The person being bullied by a gang of teenagers in that they keep following him around the streets saying he has done inappropriate things to them and sometimes had rocks thrown at him from them out in the streets and is concerned that when they are on the bus the gang will wait on street corners, attack the bus with rocks etc everytime they see him and then a pattern will be seen and then he'll no longer be able to use the buses.

That seems unlikely. More likely (and quite common) is that the bus company will, if they have that kind of problem regularly, entirely withdraw the offending routes, either in the evening only or completely.

But no, there would be no legal issue with such a ban unless it was due to a protected characteristic. Plenty of (typically smaller) businesses, most commonly pubs, ban people just because they don't like them. Discrimination generally is not illegal, only discrimination on the basis of legally specified protected characteristics.

Morally? It's an odd one. Has he gone to the Police to look to have them charged with harrassment (or assault, if the rocks have actually hit him)? He really should.

 

[175mph]

That seems unlikely. More likely (and quite common) is that the bus company will, if they have that kind of problem regularly, entirely withdraw the offending routes, either in the evening only or completely.

But no, there would be no legal issue with such a ban unless it was due to a protected characteristic. Plenty of (typically smaller) businesses, most commonly pubs, ban people just because they don't like them. Discrimination generally is not illegal, only discrimination on the basis of legally specified protected characteristics.

Morally? It's an odd one. Has he gone to the Police to look to have them charged with harrassment (or assault, if the rocks have actually hit him)? He really should.

He's been to the police countless times but very little ever seems to get done.

 

[Mwanesh]

Years ago we had that same problem in Sheffield .We had a route were drivers got abuse.One day the group put their hands out and i pulled up opened the doors.The ring leader just sat on the doorway with his feet outside .I lost it completely got out of the cab and gave him a kick up the backside and he landed outside.The passengers on the bus all said we will be witnesses.I reported it after that no more problems and the company said lets just say it never happened.

 

[Wirewiper]

Last night, I was on a late night Stagecoach bus and someone got on and as we were nearing the bus station, the driver said to them, (they intended to get the same one again, it was a circular but their home was near to the start of the route, so they stayed on) they shouldn't actually leave the bus as a gang of teenagers were hanging around the bus station and had been bullying this guy who got on after me for over a year he revealed to me, accusing him of doing nasty stuff to them I won't post about on here.

He asked the driver although it's never happened yet, if they kept smashing the bus windows by throwing objects like bricks everytime I'm on the bus, would Stagecoach have me banned from all their buses even though it's not my fault and I'm just an innocent passenger trying to get to where I need to be, I mean I didn't ask to be bullied in any way, and if I did get banned, it would feel like I'm being punished for it.

The driver said yes they potentially could as they would have to put their own interests first and inconveniencing a passenger who's done nothing wrong far outweighs the sheer costs of having to constantly fix broken windows.

Before anybody here calls me out for posting something ridiculous, I think it is too, but was wondering if bus companies can really do this to someone in the given situation and if yes, would you side with the bus company or sympathise with the bullying victim?

And if they can't, can the bus company be called for discrimination if they banned the passenger in the given situation?

This is not about Stagecoach's Policies and Procedures. This is you reporting what a driver allegedly said when they were put on the spot and caught off guard.

If you have concerns about what may have been said, you should be raising those concerns directly with the local Stagecoach subsidiary.

 

[Flying Snail]

This is not about Stagecoach's Policies and Procedures. This is you reporting what a driver allegedly said when they were put on the spot and caught off guard.

Exactly. The Driver was asked a hypothetical question that he shouldn't have answered at all. I am not blaming him BTW, most likely if he had thought about it he wouldn't have answered it that way. It is not like he wasn't busy doing his actual job and as the OP stated he already had made an effort to shield the individual from the other party.


175mph you are making a number of assumptions and then extrapolating a scenario that is highly unlikely based on an off the cuff remark made in response to a strange question in the middle of what was by the sound of it a stressful situation. I am sure the driver's priority was driving the bus safely and correctly while also avoiding the potential violent conflict that was unfolding not providing a definitive statement on his employer's policy for a situation that has likely never been discussed by anybody in the company.

You are doing both that driver and the company a disservice by entertaining this scenario as something real or likely. I would also suggest that by accepting as true everything that individual told you as gospel you are also taking sides in a conflict you know little to nothing about. If you are that bothered about the situation I would suggest you make a report to the police on what you witnessed between the two groups and was told by the "victim" and leave them to deal with it.