A PENSIONER was refused travel on an Arriva bus for months – because the driver did not want him on board.

John Evans would walk to the bus stop not knowing if he was able to make his journey on time – and sometimes had to wait for another bus as the driver in question would not let him on.

The stand-off began following an incident in March when Mr Evans requested to be dropped off between stops – as he is permitted to do.

But the driver would not stop – and Mr Evans admitted he said some ‘nasty words’ resulting in an altercation.

Since then, the Arriva driver has refused to let Mr Evans on his bus – even though on one occasion the pensioner was on crutches following a hip operation.

Mr Evans was forced to wait for another bus to come along – which could be up to half-an-hour later.

According to the Arriva bus help portal, passengers are perfectly permitted to request to be dropped off between marked bus stops – although it is the driver’s decision, depending on if he decides it is safe to do so.

When Arriva was notified of the stand-off, company officials agreed to meet Mr Evans to investigate.

Jamie Crowsley, the general manager of Arriva Midlands, which serves Shropshire, said: “We had a very productive meeting with Mr Evans regarding this unfortunate situation and are sorry for any inconvenience that may have been caused.

“We will be speaking to our driver to ensure the matter is fully resolved and there are no problems in the future.”

Mr Evans said he was happy how the matter was handled and believes it will now be resolved.

He said: “Jack Grove, the regional operations manager at Arriva Midlands, has promised me he will sort the situation out.

“He also said the bus driver was in the wrong to not allow me on the bus.

“I am very pleased with the outcome. As long as I can get on the bus and I’m not left at the bus stop, that is all that matters.”