Bus drivers accused of 'ignoring' students at stop

A bus company has been criticised after its drivers allegedly "ignored" waiting college students, making them late for placements.

Animal management students heading to and from Bluehouse Kennels in Newton Bewley said they faced problems using Stagecoach's 36 route, which runs from Hartlepool to Middlesbrough.

The kennel's director, Steve Dobson, claimed it was a common occurrence and early on Sunday one student was left standing in the rain in Dunster Road, Billingham, despite putting her hand out.

Stagecoach said it had "not been made aware of any regular issue in this area" and would "raise awareness" with its drivers.

Bluehouse Kennels offers work experience placements for college students across the region.

The work day starts at 07:30, a time Mr Dobson said was "not exactly a busy time of day" for buses.

When Mr Dobson posted about his students' experience on a local Hartlepool Facebook group, he found many residents shared his feelings, he said.

One person claimed the drivers "do it all the time" while another said they had been left "standing in the rain with a newborn".

"I was inundated with people with horror stories with Stagecoach and their drivers," he said.

"I'm sure a major percentage of bus drivers are conscientious and are looking for people standing in the rain."

A spokesperson for Stagecoach said the Dunster Road stop was "often inaccessible due to parked cars, meaning the bus needs to stop outside the bus stop".

"We will raise awareness with our drivers, though, and would ask that, should there be an issue, if they could get in touch with our customer service centre so we can look into the matter," they said.

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