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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Cameron Ward

Bus driver tells disabled man 'I don't understand foreign languages' in foul rant

A bus driver was caught on camera telling a disabled passenger: "I don't understand foreign languages."

Royal Mail worker Ian Barrington was also denied help with the disabled ramp because the driver said she had backache.

The 44-year-old and his wife, Katar Zyna, 34, got a First Bus from their home village of Thorney, Cambridgeshire, to nearby Peterborough, on November 4.

Ian, who moved to the UK seven years ago after he was shot and paralysed during a robbery, said the driver refused to operate the ramp to let him on and his wife had to do the job.

Royal Mail worker Ian Barrington, whose only language is English, was horrified after the incident (Ian Barrington/Deadline News)

He added that the driver became angry and threatened to throw him off the bus as he and Katar discussed the lack of help during the journey.

The video shows Ian sitting in the wheelchair bay on the bus shouting to the bus driver: "Come and put me off because I’m speaking my mind, come and put me off!”

The driver shouts back: “You should be ashamed of yourself!”

Ian responds: “I should be ashamed of myself?” The driver says: “Yeah.” Ian then reminds the driver: “You’re documented, yeah? Just remember that.”

The driver shouts back: “I don’t understand foreign languages, I understand English!”

Ian responds: “You don’t understand foreign languages, I’m a foreigner now. Am I not speaking English?”

The driver snaps back: “Are you going to shut up or get off!” Ian says: “Come and put me off if I'm doing something wrong.”

The video then jumps to Ian pointing a camera at the driver as he appears to gesture for her set the ramp down for him.

The driver then opens the cockpit door and asks someone to open the ramp for Ian to get off saying: “Could you come and open this ramp for me darling, thank you.” Before closing the cockpit again.

A passenger then tries to open the ramp up for Ian. The bus driver sitting in her chair then corrects the passenger for doing it wrong saying: “No no down the side sweetheart. Just lift that ramp.”

The bus driver, pointing with a mobile phone in her hand, then responds to Ian’s question as to why she can’t open it. She says: “No I can’t, no I’ve told you I’ve got back ache.”

Ian wrote on Facebook : “First Bus need to screen and train their employees before allowing them to represent their company.

“As a disabled person, life can be really challenging. We struggle with mobility, we struggle with loss of independence, transportation, accessibility issue, employment, communication and social relationships, getting married and self-esteem.

First Bus told local media that they were taking the incident 'very seriously.'

Chris Speed, Head of operations at First Eastern Counties, said: “We are taking this allegation very seriously as it is certainly not the kind of service we would expect to be provided by one of our driving team.

“I will be investigating the matter and will correspond with the gentleman concerned when the process is concluded."

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