Mum ‘kicked off packed Arriva bus because her autistic son, five, was annoying the driver by singing The Wheels on The Bus’
Amanda Little claims the Arriva driver slammed his brakes on and demanded they get off because he 'couldn't concentrate'
A MUM claims she was booted off a packed bus because her five-year-old autistic son was singing The Wheels on the Bus.
Amanda Little was riding the Arriva bus into Colchester, Essex, on Saturday when the driver apparently slammed on his brakes and demanded they get off.
The embarrassed 30-year-old said they were forced to make their way off in front of passengers on the packed bus and were then left "stranded" at the wrong stop.
Amanda has now complained to Arriva about the driver, who had told her he "couldn't concentrate" because of little Paul's singing.
The mum, from Colchester, blasted: "I'm fuming. I told my mum as well and my whole family were fuming too. It's the first time I've been chucked off a bus.
"My son had an optician's appointment. He was sat at the back of the bus where he always goes.
"Suddenly he just started singing. The song was The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round.
"All of a sudden, four stops later, the bus just suddenly stopped.
"The bus driver said 'the lady at the back of the bus with the little boy, get off the bus please'.
"When the bus driver kicked us off he just sounded p****d off really. He said he couldn't concentrate."
Amanda says she and Paul were forced to wait for another bus and ended up getting to the appointment late.
Her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in February 2016, and Amanda says singing and repetition are things he enjoys doing.
The carer said: "He was being really quiet and I've no idea how the bus driver could even hear him, especially since we were right at the back.
"He wasn't being annoying or particularly loud but the bus driver said it was 'annoying' him.
"My son can say a few words but he has slow speech development. He can do things like write his name and he has difficulty talking, but he can count to 160.
"He's a very quiet child and he was being quiet on that day. Plus you could hardly hear him at the back.
"To try and see it from [the driver's] point of view, I suppose if there was somebody screaming then that would be an issue – but it was just a little boy singing."
An Arriva spokesperson said: "We are committed to providing passengers with the best possible service and have been working with local bus user groups and Essex County Council to help improve bus travel for everyone in the area.
"Now that our attention has been drawn to this complaint, we will investigate it thoroughly and, if warranted, take appropriate action."
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