Stagecoach East Scotland has launched an 'urgent' investigation after a driver has been called out for 'racist' behaviour on a bus travelling between Edinburgh and Dundee.
Emily, 21, was travelling on the X54 from Dundee to Edinburgh where she was left appalled by the way, she claims, the driver was treating some of the customers.
She tweeted the company telling them that the driver was 'racist' and was "treating multiple poc [people of colour] speaking with a slight accent like something he scraped off his shoe and yelling at them repeatedly."
READ MORE- Edinburgh student in frantic flat search scammed out of £1,000 by 'fake' landlord
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, she said that she noticed the driver was acting 'incredibly hostile' to travellers who weren't white but was pleasant to her.
She explained: "I got on at the bus station and a man tried to get on and said he wanted a day rider, the bus driver asked where he was going and then (quite rightly) said that he’d be better getting the 42 as it had a stop there and he didn’t.
"The guy obviously didn’t have English as his first language and was confused and the bus driver suddenly started yelling at him to get off the bus and shouted it was the wrong bus and the poor guy looked so stressed and confused about the situation.
"Another man then got on and asked for a North East Fife Day Rider, he had a fairly heavy accent but he was still very understandable and the bus driver started to shout that he couldn’t tell what he wanted and was being incredibly hostile, at this point a woman across the aisle and I looked at each other in shock/horror.
"The guy told him where he needed to get off and the bus driver told him there was one stop and was speaking in a very Scottish way so the guy was obviously confused as Scots English and normal English are very different. He also then shouted at the guy once he’d sat down but I don’t remember what he said.
"Then during the journey a black woman went down to tell the driver she wanted off at the trading estate and he immediately started to shout “what are you saying I don’t know what you’re saying” and then scoffed and waved her away and she just looked so confused and embarrassed.
"Again she had an accent but it was still very easy to hear what she was saying. The same woman across the aisle turned and said to me “wow someone’s not in a good mood are they”.
"I am very used to moody drivers but this man was only acting like this to anyone that wasn’t white, I asked a stupid question/potentially annoying about if it stopped somewhere and he answered no problem whatsoever. And the look he gave the black woman as she got off was like she was a piece of rubbish scraped off his shoe. It was just awful to witness."
She added: "I really don’t see many situations like this nowadays. I work in customer service and regularly deal with members of the public who don’t have English as a first language, for example at the moment we have a lot of Ukrainian refugees, and I understand it can be difficult sometimes but there’s never an excuse to throw it back in their face and behave so hostile towards them.
"I wouldn’t think about doing that in a million years and I don’t understand how he thought that was acceptable."
Douglas Robertson, Managing Director of Stagecoach East Scotland, commented: "We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind or unacceptable behaviour, whether that involves an employee or any customer seeking to use our services.
"We have launched an urgent investigation into these allegations, which include viewing the CCTV, formally interviewing the driver involved and speaking directly to the customer who has made the complaint.
"As a company, we have a strong commitment to championing diversity, inclusion and equality and helping people right across our community. We will not hesitate to take any necessary disciplinary action where our values and people's right to equal access to our services have not been upheld."
READ NEXT-
Edinburgh drivers warned as M90 to close overnight for urgent refurbishment
Edinburgh Napier University offers all students free breakfast as living costs soar
Edinburgh woman desperate to save one-eyed cat months after adopting him
Superstar DJ Calvin Harris poses with Hearts fans in Florence for Fiorentina match
Edinburgh restaurant's apology as staff member accused of being 'rude and unprofessional'
