Disability Defence

Bus ordeal for disabled man
Nick Tarver
3/ 4/2007

A BUS driver ordered a man with no legs to prove he was disabled before letting him travel on his bus.

Double amputee Brian Callaghan, 60, was in a wheelchair when his wife Maria helped him board the Number 17 First bus.

But after she bought herself a £1.40 ticket, the driver demanded to see her husband's disabled pass, which entitles him to free travel.

To the astonishment of other passengers on the Middleton-bound bus, he refused to drive on until Mr Callaghan had produced the pass.

Mr Callaghan, of Blackley, a former bus driver himself, said: "The bus drivers never ask me for my pass, because it's obvious that I'm disabled. But this time, after I got settled on the bus, the driver shouted 'Have got your pass mate?'

"I said: 'But I've got no legs - surely you don't need to see it'.

"He told me he did and that the bus wouldn't move until I showed it to him."

He said other passengers were furious and shouted at the driver: 'Are you for real?' but he still refused to budge.

After searching his bag and wallet, he eventually found the pass and showed it to the driver.

Embarrassed

Mr Callaghan said he was extremely embarrassed by the whole experience.

"The bus was full and everyone was looking at me. I couldn't take it all in - it was like the driver thought I was trying to pull the wool over his eyes.

"I was a bus driver for 17 years and I never treated a disabled person like he treated me. I am absolutely livid at his behaviour."

Mr Callaghan, who has two children, Jacqueline, 39, and Bernard, 37, and four grandchildren, was a driver for Manchester buses until 1980 and then became a chauffeur and worked for the city council.

He lost his legs three years ago after he went to hospital with a swollen foot and was diagnosed with diabetes. His first leg was amputated within seven days and his second six months after that.

Although the Callaghans have a car, he and his wife occasionally use public transport and had caught the bus to meet friends for Sunday lunch.

The couple celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary at the weekend and Mr Callaghan said he would be unable to cope without his wife's help.

He still manages to keep active and is chairman of the North Manchester Amputees Group.

All disabled people are allowed to travel free on Greater Manchester buses, trains and Metrolink trams between 9.30am and midnight on weekdays and at all times on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

First director Bob Mason said: "I was saddened to hear of Mr Callaghan's experiences while travelling with us on service 17.

"We need to establish all the facts so that we can learn what transpired and introduce steps, if necessary, to ensure there is no repeat at any time in the future."