Disabled man refused entry on Newbury bus

Marc Carlyon (pictured with his family), aged 35, who is temporarily unable to walk after undergoing knee and hip surgery, was left in agony and forced to make his own way home.
He had attempted to board the number 8 service from Newbury town centre on Thursday, but was forced to attempt the journey on his scooter while his partner and two young children, aged four and 20 months, took the bus as planned, unsure as to whether he had enough battery to make it the two-and-a-half miles home.
Mr Carlyon said: “The level of pain and discomfort that I was forced to endure because of the refusal was not pleasant.”
Nevertheless, he almost made it home before his battery drained. “It was only my foresight on going at one mile an hour that saved us from being stranded,” he said, with the scooter stopping just yards from his home.
“This is not a suitable situation with two children.”
CCTV footage was assessed by the transport firm after interviews with Mr Carlyon and the driver failed to match up.
The general manager for Newbury and District buses, Dave Wilder, extended apologies to Mr Carlyon.
He said: “I can understand why the gentleman complained and I can equally understand why the driver was unhappy about taking him on with his scooter.
“The wheelchair area wasn’t full but there were people in it with prams.
“He would have been partially blocking the gangway.
“Normally he would be very welcome to use the bus,” concluded Mr Wilder, who added “it’s all down to passenger capacity.”