A Bradford father is furious after his son was ordered off a bus and had to walk five miles home.

John McClusky, of Leeds Road, Thornbury, has slammed bus company First Bradford claiming his fourteen-year-old son Christopher was wrongly told his ticket was invalid, leaving him stranded miles from home.

Christopher had bought the £2 day rider ticket on a number 15 bus from Leeds outside his home in Thornbury to travel to school at St Bede's in Heaton.

But Mr McClusky claims that, because the ticket was issued on a First Leeds bus instead of a First Bradford bus, his son was told it was invalid in Bradford when he tried to make the return journey. He added that Christopher, who was given a ticket with the First Leeds name on it, was then told to get off the bus.

Christopher said: "The driver told me I wasn't allowed on the bus because my ticket wasn't bought in Bradford. I told him that I'd bought it in Thornbury but he just started laughing.

"I had to go back into school to try and borrow some money but nobody had any so I had to walk home on my own."

Mr McClusky said: "He was heartbroken when he got home. He had to walk all the way back from school. I'm disgusted.

"He's been buying these tickets for about three weeks and he's never had problems before. I was worried because I expected him home two hours before he got back.

"He's been really badly treated. I've contacted First Bradford who've said that the ticket should have been valid but that there wasn't anything they could do about it."

A spokesman for First Bradford said that FirstGroup operated in all areas of West Yorkshire and that where services overlapped, a person asking for a day rider ticket should be issued with the correct ticket for the area in which they are travelling.

"Without speaking to the bus driver, it's difficult to make further comment," he said. "If Mr McClusky would like to get in touch with our traffic manger, he will try to deal with it."

e-mail:

ian.midgley@newsquest.bradford.co.uk

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