A mental health specialist claims he was told to get off a Nottingham bus if he didn't like the behaviour of a teenager who threatened to spit at him.
Distressed Marc Ewen, 47, of Arnold, said he decided to raise his concerns with the Nottingham City Transport (NCT) driver about the foul-mouthed behaviour of another bus passenger.
But despite the driver intervening the first time, when the teenager turned aggressive and threatened to slap other passengers and spit at him, he couldn't believe the driver's response.
NCT argues that the driver immediately responded to Mr Ewen's concerns and had acted "appropriately" and there were no grounds for either passenger to leave the bus.
The incident happened on the 87 bus from Parliament Street to Arnold at around 5.40pm on Wednesday, March 20.
Mr Ewen said: "I was sat on the very back seat of the bus. I witnessed a girl around the age of 16 to 17 using extremely offensive and rude language and very loudly.
"Directly in front of me was a very young child around six or seven eating an ice cream, who I could see was looking very distressed and uneasy.
"I politely said to this girl 'can you please not swear in front of this young girl?'
"I was shocked with the response. At this point I decided to address my concerns to the driver, who came from his cab and asked her to move to the front of the bus.
"At this request this girl threatened to spit in my face. I also heard her say she would slap 'those two'. I believe she was referring to the mother and child.
"The girl eventually moved down the bus only to continue what looked like attention seeking behaviour using foul provocative language and further threats.
"I did my utmost to ignore and disengage. But I felt I would approach the driver again. I was shocked to hear his very unhelpful comments saying that 'I could get off the bus if I wasn't happy.' I told him that was not the way it worked.
"I believe this driver didn't do enough to provide protection. When I left the bus I asked him 'why he chose not to do anything?' and he replied that 'he only had my word for it.'
"This problem of offensive and unacceptable behaviour on public transport is a very serious one and needs to be tracked with a robust response."
NCT said it has viewed CCTV in regards to this incident.
A spokesman for NCT said: "We are sorry to hear Mr Ewen's journey was distressing. The on bus CCTV shows the driver immediately responds to Mr Ewen's concerns about the behaviour of another customer on the bus, by leaving his cab to intervene in their disagreement.
"The driver asks the young female to move to the front of the bus, in an attempt to diffuse the situation, which she does. The driver advises both parties that any further argument would result in them being asked to leave the bus.
"As the CCTV does not show any further argument or issue, we are satisfied that the driver has acted appropriately and there are no grounds to ask either person to leave the bus.
"In the event that the situation had escalated, NCT has a 24/7 control room that all drivers can contact using their on bus radio.
"Through our excellent partnership with Nottinghamshire Police and our own Inspectorate, assistance can be dispatched to buses within minutes and people removed from buses, if necessary."
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