A BUS driver has been suspended after refusing to allow a schoolboy to board his bus home.

Cherwell School pupil Luke Middleton was asked to leave an Oxford Bus Company service to Kidlington when his new ‘key’ card flashed up as stolen on his way home.

The driver ordered the 13-year-old off and confiscated his card.

He had enough cash to get the four-mile journey home to Cromwell Way, Kidlington.

Mum Tanya, 36, said: “I was so angry when he told me, I was absolutely fuming.

“I was so relieved he had money on him.

“It’s totally unacceptable to ask a child to leave the bus and leave them out in the dark.”

Oxford Bus Company said the card was registered as stolen as it had been reported lost in the post and a second one had been dispatched.

Mrs Middleton said the family did not report the card missing.

She added: “This made my son extremely embarrassed in front of his friends.”

The firm hand-delivered a replacement card on the night of the incident, Monday, November 8, and has offered him a week’s free travel when the card expires next year.

It denied the incident was related to technical problems over the launch of its new key card scheme on October 31.

Operations director Louisa Weeks said: “We are sorry that Mrs Middleton is still unhappy.

“One of my senior colleagues was promptly in touch with Mrs Middleton and offered our unreserved apologies for what happened to Luke.

“She was happy to accept our offer of an extension to Luke’s season ticket as part of that apology.

“We take our responsibilities towards potentially vulnerable passengers, of whatever age, extremely seriously.

“That is why, as soon as we heard of the incident, we launched a full disciplinary inquiry to find out what happened and to take appropriate action.

“For understandable reasons and because we must respect employment legislation we are unable to discuss the outcome of disciplinary hearings.”