A helpless wheelchair user was left trapped on a parked bus until 3am after the driver failed to spot him at the end of his shift.
The man, 60, was said to have fallen asleep shortly before the double-decker was put in the depot for the night.
But the driver failed to spot him despite the disabled passenger’s chair apparently being just feet from his cab.
A cleaner later found him in a confused state and an ambulance was called.
Campaigners yesterday said they were shocked at the man’s ordeal.
Richard Currie, of the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People, said: “It’s outrageous.
"I dread to think of the emotional and psychological trauma he has been put through.
"Stagecoach should consider altering customer care policies and compensating the man.”
Flick Harris, of the Manchester Disabled People’s Access Group, added: “Procedures need to be put in place to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
It is not known what time the disabled man boarded the bus but the cleaner found him at the depot in Ardwick, Manchester, around 3am last Saturday.
He was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary after temperatures plunged to -1C in the city centre that night.
Police said no criminal offences were committed and the incident was dealt with as a medical matter.
Stagecoach has apologised for the failure and said it had launched an internal investigation.
It said: “Part of our drivers’ duty is to check the bus at the end of the shift.”
* How our sister website the Manchester Evening News is reporting the story.