A teenager says she was humiliated when ‘aggressive’ passengers shamed her for sitting in a priority seat on a Bristol First Bus.
Passengers shouted, swore and tutted at Martha Pugh-Jones, accusing her of not needing to sit in a priority seat even though she was wearing a badge for people with hidden disabilities, reported Bristol Live .
The 18-year-old has a chronic fatigue syndrome and a condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which causes heart abnormalities when she stands, particularly when she’s moving.
The condition is severe, and meant she had to miss her final year of sixth form at St Mary Redcliffe to recover, after developing the condition 18 months ago.
After a year out of education, Ms Pugh-Jones restarted year 13 in September and has only recently begun using public transport daily.
She said: “Last Wednesday, I was travelling back from The Centre and did manage to sit down in a priority seat, but then lots of people got on, including a mum with children.
“She sat next to me, but then other passengers started tutting because I didn’t give up my seat for her child. I just couldn’t stand, and I knew the bus journey was going to be 45 minutes.”
The riled passengers were quick to instruct her to move. “Some of the passengers then started talking about me and then one or two challenged me saying I should get up.
“I showed them the badge, and tried to explain, but one man in particular got aggressive.
“We were travelling all the way up Gloucester Road for half an hour or more, and he was shouting and having a go at me. When I got up to get off, he shouted: ‘See, you can walk fine! There’s nothing wrong with you! So you can stand up!’”
The blue badge scheme helps people with hidden disabilities to travel to work, access shops and to socialise.
Ms Pugh-Jones holds a blue badge for when she is in a car and for commuting in London, as part of a Transport for London scheme.
Badge holders carry a card explaining the details of the holders’ condition and wear a badge that says ‘please offer me a seat’.
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