A man has been left "scared" after he was "banned" from a Trentbarton bus following a confrontation over his American Staffy assistance dog. Roy Brown-Lowe said he was "embarrassed" by the bus driver during the ordeal.
Roy's two-and-a-half-year-old dog Bruce is registered as an assistance dog by his GP. The dog is used as a means to help Roy manage his mental health.
But now Roy, from Derbyshire has had to contact his psychiatrist following the incident, which started when he tried to board a Nines bus in Leabrooks with Bruce at the start of June, reports Derbyshire Live. Roy claims he was told he had to pay a fare for Bruce - despite Trentbarton's website stating that assistance dogs can travel for free.
The driver argued that Roy did not have the right identification for Bruce as an assistance dog - such as a yellow vest - despite his collar and lead stating he was an assistance dog and Roy providing a picture of his doctor's letter. The 62-year-old did end up travelling on the bus despite the furore - but when he stepped on the same bus a few days later and it was the same driver, he says he was told to "get off".
On a third occasion, Roy had been shopping and when he saw the bus turn up with the same driver. He said on this occasion he decided it wasn't worth even trying.
He said: "I get triggered by things like this because of my mental health. I'm very triggered. I'm nervous to go on buses now because I'm scared for it to be her turning up.
"I've had to contact my psychiatrist. It made me ill for a few days and I got quite down about it and very upset because I don't really like confrontation. That's what the dog is there for. On that day he was cuddling up to me trying to keep me calm."
Mr Brown-Lowe, who suffers with a personality disorder and anxiety, was catching the bus from Leabrooks to Alfreton in order to visit his son around three weeks ago. He stepped on the bus and swiped his Gold Card - a free Derbyshire County Council bus pass for pensioners and the disabled - before being challenged about his dog by the driver, whom he'd never seen before.
The fee for non-assistance dogs on Trentbarton buses is 80p. Mr Brown-Lowe said that he showed the driver Bruce's collar, which bears the words "service dog", and lead, which bears the words "assistance dog".
He claims the driver argued that anyone could buy a lead that stated those words. At that point, Mr Brown-Lowe says he showed her a photograph of his doctor's psychiatry note, proving Bruce's registry as a service dog.
He says this was also refused on the grounds that he could have written it himself. At this point, he says the driver told him to "just sit down" before continuing with the journey.
But at the next stop, she got off the bus and rang a supervisor, says Roy, who advised that the dog should be wearing a yellow vest as identification. Roy says Bruce is too big for a yellow vest.
A debate ensued in front of the "full" bus, says Roy, which was embarrassing. He says he was told to get off the bus but refused and the journey then continued, with him taking a photograph of the driver before getting off at his stop, in order to report her.
He phoned the Trentbarton office and was told they'd investigate. A week went by and he'd heard nothing, so he stopped by the offices in Sutton-in-Ashfield while there for another reason and spoke to someone in person.
They told him it was still being investigated. Not long after, he received a message from Trentbarton saying that the driver had been "traced and interviewed", with CCTV and audio having been checked.
The message said: "Our driver should've handled the situation a lot better and more professionally and has been seen formally. However, going forward it would be appropriate to carry some form of evidence/ID confirming they are an assistance dog. Please accept our apologies for your experience."
Roy told them that Bruce had been wearing a collar, and claims at that point that he was told that if he was still unhappy that he should speak to an Ombudsman. He decided to accept the apology and leave the situation where it was.
One week later, Roy was waiting for a bus from Leabrooks to Ripley to meet a friend. The bus turned up with the same driver at the wheel. Roy stepped on and says he was immediately told to get off. He says that the driver told him he was "banned from all buses".
The driver again got off the bus and spoke to a supervisor. Roy says he was told that the police would be called if he didn't comply.
He says he read the messages from Trentbarton aloud to the driver in front of the bus. He says the driver claimed she hadn't been spoken to at all.
Roy got off the bus and, in a state, cancelled the appointment with his friend, then caught another bus in the other direction to Sutton-in-Ashfield instead. He went back to the Trentbarton office where he claims he was told that the driver had been advised she could refuse him entry if she wanted to - something he says hadn't been informed of.
The reason given was that Roy had broken their "zero-tolerance" policy on abuse with the debate he'd had with the driver on the first occasion. He says he was told he could catch any other bus, but not hers.
Roy left it at that. A few days later, he was waiting for a bus back from Alfreton to his home on a hot day while carrying bags of shopping. The bus pulled up with the same driver and he didn't attempt to get on.
He said: "I really don't understand why last Friday she had to carry it on. I would've got on to go to Ripley and not said a word. I don't bear her any malice or grudges or dislike her in any way. But she made it personal. It's not about the dog any more. It's about me. I just don't understand.
"In the past, because I look able-bodied, I've been questioned on it, but then produced ID and it's been okay. I don't even mind people confronting me. It's not about the money. It's about the fact that she wouldn't accept he was an assistance dog and accept the evidence."
A Trentbarton spokesperson said: “We have reached out to Mr Brown-Lowe, inviting him to meet with a senior manager and our driver so we can reach a mutual understanding about Mr Brown-Lowe’s future travel on our buses, alongside his assistance dog. We require that our staff are treated respectfully by all our customers, but we are of course keen to resolve the matter so that Mr Brown-Lowe can continue to enjoy the use of our services in the future.”
