Edinburgh woman forced to walk home alone after Lothian Buses driver asks her to get off when card declined

Young woman blasts ‘impatient and unfriendly’ bus driver after she was forced to walk home alone at night
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A young woman who was thrown off an Edinburgh bus and made to walk home alone in the early hours of the morning has raised concerns about women’s safety in the city.

The woman, who does not want to be named, was trying to get home to Gorgie at 3am after a night out in the city centre, when her debit card was repeatedly declined on a bus. She said that this was despite there being cash in her account. She said: “I tried to scan my card three times and it was refused. I then panicked and tried to buy a ticket on the m-ticket app, but it also didn’t work for me, it was just one of those days where nothing worked.”

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The bus driver, who she described as ‘impatient and unfriendly’, asked her to get off the bus and threatened to call the police – a move which left her with no choice but to walk home in the dark. She said she was in shock as she began to make her way home and the experience has left her concerned about other women who may find themselves in the same situation.

Lothian Buses has come under fire after a woman was forced to walk home alone at nightLothian Buses has come under fire after a woman was forced to walk home alone at night
Lothian Buses has come under fire after a woman was forced to walk home alone at night

The woman said: “I was really scared as I walked all the way home that night and I was stopped three times by three different groups of men. I don’t necessarily blame the bus driver, but was a few pounds really worth letting a young female walk alone at 4am in the morning? I just lost my faith in humanity and I couldn’t believe the trouble he would go out of his way to avoid helping me.”

The woman shared her experience on a social media group where others also shared similar experiences. One person who saw the post felt so disgusted that they contacted Lothian Buses who said that drivers can contact the operational control team in these situations for ‘assistance and advice’.

A Lothian Buses spokesman told the Evening News: “Lothian is committed to the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues and all of our customers. We can confirm that we have been contacted regarding this incident and are liaising with the customer directly. We always welcome customer feedback, and are not aware of a significant increase in incidents of this nature.”

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