A BUS company is investigating after an elderly woman felt ‘hijacked’ after not being allowed off a bus in Kidlington.

Patricia Staines said she was left distressed after mistakenly getting on the 500 service, with Oxford Bus Company, which she didn’t realise would not stop near her home in Kidlington.

The 78-year-old said the buses were ‘up-the-shoot’ due to the Oxford Half Marathon on Sunday, October 7. So, as she got on the bus in Jericho with son Gary Staines, she asked the driver if it stopped in the village and he said yes.

But it was only after her son got off the bus a stop early at Sainsbury’s Kidlington, she realised the next stop closer to her home was not scheduled and she would have to get off about a mile later.

She says, despite pleading with the driver to stop and repeatedly explaining her mistake he wouldn’t stop.

Mrs Staines said: “I said please stop, I usually get off here and he just said no 500 sign. I said I usually get off here, please, I live here and need to get off as my son can’t get in I have the only key. He just ignored me, even though I was the only person on there.

“I felt hijacked.”

Mrs Staines said being the only passenger and with no traffic she didn’t understand why he wouldn’t stop.

Being on her own she said she was worried where she was going and the driver was ‘extremely unhelpful’. She was told the next stop was Exeter Hall about one mile away and said she passed four other stops in the process.

Her son Mr Staines added: “Naturally we are all outraged with the bus company’s position.

“I cannot say categorically that this incident has had a negative impact on my mothers health, but what I can say following it, she has been very unwell to the point she attended her doctor who has requested she attend the hospital for a number of tests.

“Evidently she is not sleeping and has lost a lot of weight.”

Mrs Staines also had to cancel a holiday this week due to poor health.

The family has made a complaint to Oxford Bus Company.

Mr Staines added: “It was a reasonable request for the driver to stop, factoring in an elderly customer who had made an error in the stops allocated and not to do so was just bloody-minded.

“Hide behind schedules and designated stops all you like but the service is for the convenience of the customer and when you factor in we are dealing with an elderly senior citizen the driver should have been more compassionate as I believe they have a duty of care.”

Oxford Bus Company has apologised to the family and said it is investigating the claims.

Managing director Phil Southall said: “We are sorry Mrs Staines felt she did not receive an excellent service.

“Our 500 route is an express service which means it has limited stops.

“Bus operators are tightly regulated and if any drivers stop between stops, or at a stop not registered on the service in question it is a breach of our licence conditions.

“We take great pride in our high customer service standards and all our staff receive regular training.”

Mrs Staines added: “I am just extremely annoyed that bus drivers seem to think they can do what they want to, and are not here for the convenience of passengers.

“A lot of the elderly residents round here said the same about what do we do if we make a mistake and end up going miles. There is no feeling and compassion for the elderly at all.”