New public transport dress code signs labelled 'cruel'

New signs on Darwin buses stating dirty and stained clothing is banned have been called cruel. (Lloyd Jones/AAP PHOTOS)

A move to ban people in "dirty or stained clothing" from a city's public buses has been slammed as a cruel and discriminatory measure targeting the already disadvantaged.

The Northern Territory government has come under fire after new signs outlining the dress code went up inside buses around Darwin.