Schoolgirl thrown off Bootle bus for missing 10p from fare

Gary Jones was incensed at his daughter's treatment

An angry dad claims a driver refused to let his 13-year-old daughter on a bus to school because she was 10p short of the fare.

Father-of-four Gary Jones, 52, was "furious" after his daughter was left at the stop in Bootle, Merseyside, early in the morning.

Mr Jones said the driver kept the rest of the bus fare the girl had given him.

Arriva Buses apologised to the family and said it was interviewing the driver about the incident.

Mr Jones said his daughter was left traumatised and stranded at about 07:30 GMT on 23 October, just before half-term.

"I go to work before she goes to school but I always give her the correct fare," said Mr Jones, who works in a timber yard.

"She handed the driver the money and was told she was 10p short and made her get off the bus. She must have lost the money.

"What made it worse was that the driver kept the rest of the cash."

Arriva Merseyside has apologised to the family

He added: "My daughter suffers anxiety attacks and vomited in the street. She was devastated.

"I phoned Arriva to complain because I was furious."

His daughter, who had recently started a new school in West Derby more than four miles away, was driven to school by her older sister.

'Sincere apologies'

Mr Jones said the company has offered his daughter a three-month free bus pass, but added: "It is not about the free pass - I'm annoyed that this happened to my daughter."

Howard Farrall, area managing director of Arriva Merseyside said the driver would be interviewed "in line with our procedures".

"I would once again like to express our most sincere apologies to the family involved," he added.