A disabled mum was left in tears by the side of the road after a bus driver refused to let her on because of her mobility aid.
Mum-of-three Sam Cleasby, 40, was refused entry to the First Bus service on March 3 due to the Alinker walking bike that she had, which the "rude and aggressive" driver insisted was a bike.
First Bus has said that they are probing the Sheffield incident and has apologised "for any inconvenience or distress caused with this incident", Yorkshire Live writes.
Mrs Cleasby suffers with Ulcerative colitis, which is a long-term condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed, as well as having a stoma bag.
Mrs Cleasby has previously used a wheelchair but since December 2021, she has used an Alinker, which is a walking aid without pedals with an adjustable saddle and handlebars.
She said: "I have chronic pain and a multitude of medications and I struggle with my mobility and the pain of walking.
"The Alinker is somewhere between a walker and a wheelchair. It's really quite innovative and helpful for people who don't need to be pushed in a wheelchair. It allows me to walk and gives me that added support and independence.
"It's been life-changing. It allows me to get in and out of town. But not on Thursday."
Mrs Cleasby, who has run a popular blog called So Bad Ass where she talks about her life, was waiting for a bus into town so that she could have a meeting at Sheffield Hallam University where she is studying fine art. She was the only person at the bus stop when the bus pulled up.
"I didn't think there would be any issues", she said. "I had my air pods on and I was taking one out when he said something. I said 'what?' and he said 'you are not getting on with that'.
"I asked again and he said 'you can't come on with a bike'."
Mrs Cleasby told the driver it was a mobile aid and pointed out that it had a black disability badge, as well as showing her disabled bus pass.
Mrs Cleasby said that there was nobody in the space on the bus reserved for wheelchairs and people with disabilities.
She said: "He didn't care. He just kept saying 'it's a bike'. It was so bizarre. I was not expecting that sort of confrontation.
"He went to close the door so I put the wheel in the doorway and said 'you can't discriminate against me'."
She said that the driver began putting other arguments forward including saying that the Alinka was "dangerous" as it will bump into people and that it was "too big".
Mrs Cleasby said: "I said it was smaller than a buggy and a wheelchair.
"He said it wasn't designed to go on a bus when it was."
Mrs Cleasby got upset and began crying and told him again not to discriminate against her. She said that he replied: "This space is for real disabled people."
She said: "He asked if I had a pass and I asked what he meant and there was no answer. He was just not going to let me on. He was so rude and aggressive and he changed his mind about why I couldn't get on several times.
"I get that it looks weird and people don't recognise it but normally people are understanding. He wasn't confused though, he was just rude.
"By this point I was really crying and I kept saying 'you are not allowed to do this'."
Mrs Cleasby said that the discussion went on for a few minutes before she decided to exit the bus "absolutely sobbing" and headed home.
She said: "There was part of me that wanted to stay on but I was so embarrassed and humiliated I thought 'I just want to go home'.
"It was pretty awful. It just makes you feel like there's so many barriers in place when you are disabled and it's very hard to leave the house sometimes and when something like this happens you think 'Yep, this is why I don't go out'."
Mrs Cleasby shared her story on social media and said was contacted by other disabled people who had had similar experiences while getting on the bus in Sheffield.
She called for greater disability awareness training at First Bus.
Nigel Eggleton, Managing Director at First South Yorkshire said: "We are undertaking an investigation into circumstances that have been brought to our attention relating to a person being refused travel by one of our drivers due to the size and construction of their mobility aid.
"There are many designs, sizes and construction of mobility aids in use, and we offer a free assessment for people to practice accessing a bus safely and ensure the aid does not cause any obstruction to other passengers when travelling.
"I want to apologise for any inconvenience or distress caused with this incident and when we have spoken with the relevant driver involved to discuss the matter, we will respond to the complainant directly with our findings."
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