Accusation bus drivers have ‘stopped picking up’ asylum seekers

Accusations have been mounted against bus drivers claiming they are repeatedly “not stopping for asylum seekers” waiting at bus stops on a route into Bristol.

Angie Bual alleged some drivers of Stagecoach’s Falcon have “stopped picking up black and brown men” on Cowslip Green on the A38 in north Somerset.

Bual, co-director of north Somerset community arts charity Trigger, reported one driver said: “I don’t take refugees”, and another allegedly refused to allow some on the bus after they offered £20 to pay for four tickets instead of the exact change.

Stagecoach said that there is no evidence to support these allegations, adding that it is investigating abuse directed at its employees.

“We have a proud and strong commitment to equality and helping people right across our community, and we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” a spokesperson told Bristol24/7.

Up to 150 mainly young men were placed by the Home Office in the Holiday Inn by Bristol Airport and use the bus to access the city.

Can you help? The Avon and Somerset Police have told me that ‘racism is not a crime.’ @StagecoachSW falcon service has stopped picking up black and brown men at a certain bus stop near me. The drivers accept white passengers. This is apartheid in action. 1/4

— Angie Bual (@angiebual) October 2, 2022

Bual, who set up a WhatsApp group of resident commuters to offer them lifts in and out of town, said: “They are seeking asylum, they are not allowed to work. Some of them receive £8.25 per week and some don’t have any income at all.

“The stagecoach Falcon bus is their only transport in and out of Bristol. For some, they use it to go to college, health appointments, to receive legal aid – or to simply leave the hotel which is far away from any amenities.”

The Falcon connects Plymouth, Exeter, Cullompton, Wellington and Taunton with Bristol Airport and Bristol city centre.

Outlining an incident that happened on September 10, Bual alleged: “One of the men got in touch because they had tried to get the bus – they had the money they needed, but the bus driver said they couldn’t get on as he had no change. The man said that he would use his £20 to pay for all four men, but the driver then said the bus was full when the bus had empty seats.”

She added: “The man refused to leave the bus saying it was his right to travel on the bus. The police were called – the police made the man leave the bus, saying it was up to the driver’s discretion as to who he wanted to take or not take.”

We have issued a statement today following concerns raised from a member of the public in relation to an incident on a bus in North Somerset last month.

An accessible version of the statement can be found here: https://t.co/rHp09MmVVa pic.twitter.com/A2DvunLDny

— Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) October 3, 2022

A Stagecoach West spokesperson added: “As part of our help for various community groups, for example, we have been proud to support refugees from Ukraine arriving into the UK with free bus travel to help them to reach their final destinations.

“We take very seriously any allegations that our values are not being upheld. However, to date, we have found no evidence to support these allegations. We can also confirm that we are investigating several allegations regarding abuse directed at our employees.”

Avon and Somerset Police have logged the incident as a hate incident.

Superintendent Dickon Turne said: “We were called by a bus driver on September 10 to a payment dispute between them and a number of people trying to board the bus in North Somerset. We were told the individuals were trying to pay in cash and the driver said he was unable to accept the payment.

“Officers attended to prevent a breach of the peace and no offences were reported or identified.

“A third-party report about the incident was received later that day from a member of the public who raised concerns the incident was racially-motivated, stating the people involved were asylum seekers staying at a nearby hotel.

“A PC and temporary chief inspector called her and explained we had attended, no offences had been identified or reported and permitted entry onto a bus was a civil matter rather than a criminal one.

“The temporary chief inspector raised the matter with partner agencies in a working group, including the local authority, to establish if there were any complaints we were unaware of from those passengers and so partners could take steps to ensure they could access public transport in future.”

Hi Angie, This is something we take very serious and I am terribly sorry. Can you please let me know some examples of dates and times this happening. Along with the street waiting to get on. I will pass this over to the depot to look into and locate the driver. E

— Stagecoach South West (@StagecoachSW) October 2, 2022

They added: “In accordance with recording protocols, this has been logged as a hate incident. Unlike a hate crime, a hate incident is one where at least one person believes there was a hate element, but where no criminal offences have been found to have occurred.”

He added there is “no excuse for any form of hate or prejudice in Avon and Somerset”.

Main photo: Holiday Inn

Read next:

• Locals ‘left stranded’ by reduced and unreliable bus service
• Bristol Airport expansion to be challenged in High Court
• Disproportionality in the criminal justice system laid bare in new report 

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: