A SERIOUSLY ill Swindon girl and her mother say they were left stranded after being kicked off the bus on their way to hospital.

Seven-year-old Ella Cridland has severe asthma, eczema and zero tolerance for heat, dust, peanuts and egg.

She was on her way to an appointment at Southmead Hospital in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, with her mother, April, when the incident was said to have happened.

The pair say they were abandoned so far from the hospital they had to catch another bus travelling in the opposite direction to make the 10.30am appointment.

Ella, from Rutland Road, in Walcot, said: “The bus driver was very mean and just shouted at us to get off.

“I didn’t know what me or mummy had done to make him so rude.

“I was very upset and was crying and wheezy but he just shut the door in my face.”

Tuesday’s alleged incident happened aboard the 9.15am 518 Wessex Connect service from Bristol Parkway train station.

Ella, a pupil at Goddard Park, said: “Mummy asked a bus driver at the train station which bus to get to get to the hospital but he just said ‘I don’t start for another five minutes, go away.’ “Then another driver told us that was the bus to the hospital so we had to get on it.”

Ella and her mother claim the bus driver agreed to tell them where to alight.

But after 40 minutes the mother and daughter who, at this point were the only passengers left on the bus, were unceremoniously told to get off.

Ms Cridland, 46, said: “I was horrified. I said ‘well where is the hospital?’ and he just pointed behind him and said ‘back there, now get off.’ “I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Ella was so upset she was crying and that made her get hot and panicky so her skin was flaring up.

“She was very noticeably poorly but the driver didn’t care, he just said it wasn’t his problem and to get off.”

Ms Cridland flagged down a passer-by who accompanied them to the nearest bus stop.

“When we got on the other bus it was another 15 minutes before we arrived at the hospital so the driver really took us out of our way,” she said.

Ella was so upset about the prospect of returning to the train station on the bus that her mother had to pay £10 for a taxi.

“I just think if you work as a bus driver you have a duty of care to your passengers,” said Ms Cridland.

“And in a job where you are face to face with the public you should exercise some manners.

“He could see my daughter was ill and he didn’t know what she had, so the way he behaved was unforgivable.”

Ian Pollard, the group commercial services manager for Wessex Connect, said: “We will be interviewing the driver and asking him for his account of the incident and why these people were left feeling this way.

“If appropriate we will be disciplining the driver, although we will not be releasing the results of any potential disciplinary action.

“Our drivers are the front line of our service and we expect certain standards and we will make every effort to ensure all drivers will live up to those standards.”