An Erith man claims his partner was discriminated against by a bus driver because of her disability.

Robert Greenwood, 49, of Hilary Close, claims the driver of the 289 bus got out of his booth after he said he was going to report him and screamed at the couple – making girlfriend Karen McDonald cry.

Mr Greenwood and Ms McDonald, who has fractures in her spine, were coming from an appointment at Croydon University Hospital in the afternoon on Wednesday (February 3).

News Shopper:

Mr Greenwood and Ms McDonald

When asking the driver whether they could board the bus, he allegedly replied saying, ‘for f**** sake, can’t you get the next one?’

Mr Greenwood told News Shopper: “My partner was discriminated against just because of her disability.

“We travel on buses all the time and the staff are usually fantastic with us – we’ve never experienced anything like this before.

“When I asked for the ramp to be lowered for me to wheel her on, he muttered “for f**** sake, can’t you get the next one?”

“Once we were in our seats, I went up to the driver’s booth and told him ‘I’m not happy with you, and I want your badge number so I can report you.’

“He then pulled the bus over, got out of his seat and became aggressive with me – he was in a rage.

“He was extremely intimidating and my partner was shaken up by this.”

News Shopper:

Mr Greenwood was a bus driver for 12 years before becoming a full-time carer for Ms McDonald.

They were originally taking the bus to IKEA but needed to get the same one back to get home.

However, the couple were so fearful of coming face-to-face with the same driver that they took a cab home - which cost them £32.

The dad-of-two added: “It was probably him knowing that I was a former bus driver which gave him the hump.

“Even his driving showed that he was in a temper - we were so glad to get off the bus and Karen was crying.

“We would usually get the 289 back to Croydon but got a cab home instead because we didn’t want to get on the same bus with the same driver. It cost us £32.

News Shopper:

“My wife suffers from fibromyalgia and she has fractures in her spine, as well.

“She can barely walk so why couldn’t he just press a button to accommodate her like a normal person would?”

Mr Greenwood also cares for his 22-year-old autistic son.

TfL’s Head of Bus Operations Tony Akers, said: “We are concerned to hear of this incident and are investigating it with Arriva, the operator of the 289 bus route.

“We expect the highest standard of public service from bus drivers.”