Schoolgirl Lyssa Storey is “too scared” to get the bus home
Kirsty Holland with her daughter, Lyssa Storey, 12(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A mum has demanded an apology from Arriva after one of its drivers shouted at her daughter when catching the bus home from school. Earlier this month, the ECHO first reported that an Arriva service smashed into a parked van at a bus stop outside Lord Derby Academy in Huyton on Friday, January 9. The driver reportedly blamed 12-year-old schoolgirl Lyssa Storey for the collision.
Lyssa’s mum Kirsty Holland, 42, told the ECHO how her daughter, who is a year eight student at the school, is now “terrified” to get the bus home. Lyssa had finished lessons early on Friday and went to catch the 2.55pm number nine service to Liverpool from the nearby bus stop on Seel Road.
Ms Holland said there was a van and two cars parked in the bus stop so when the service arrived Lyssa had to stand in the road to put her hand out for it to stop.
The bus reportedly arrived late at around 3.10pm and when it showed up it crashed into a van that was parked in the bus stop. The mum says the bus driver blamed her daughter for the crash. Arriva said it was investigating the incident and the driver involved has been requested to attend a meeting.
When asked for an update a spokesperson for Arriva Merseyside said it can’t provide updates or resolutions of individual investigations because any matters relating to the conduct, performance or employment of its staff is confidential. It said it would be “inappropriate” to discuss any actions taken, or not taken, in relation to an individual employee.
Ms Holland said the bus company’s response is “not good enough” and has demanded an apology. She said: “She’s too intimidated to get that bus route home anymore.
Lyssa Storey, aged 12, was “shouted at” by a bus driver(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“All I want is for him [the driver] to hold his hands up, apologise, say ‘look, I was having a bad day and took it out on the wrong person,’ we’ve all done it.
“No adult should speak to my daughter that way. It has annoyed me the way Arriva has dealt with the whole thing and the fact it took the ECHO to get involved for them to say anything.
“The response is horrendous. People tried to blame my daughter, how is she to blame, was she driving the bus? I just want an apology off them.”
Ms Holland previously told the ECHO how the Arriva driver shouted at Lyssa and said the crash was her fault. She said: “It terrified her, she doesn’t want to go to school because of him shouting at her. It’s made her so scared and uncomfortable.”
She added: “He is an adult man and the way he blamed her for him crashing the bus is not ok. All she did was put her hand out for a bus, she is my daughter and even I wouldn’t speak to her like that.
“Lyssa won’t get on that route home anymore and now has to go the long way, which adds a good half an hour onto her commute – it’s worrying for a parent, I want to know my 12-year-old daughter is getting home safely.”
A spokesperson for Arriva Merseyside had responded: “Arriva takes the safety and wellbeing of our customers very seriously. We are aware of the incident on the number 9 service on Friday, January 9 and the concerns raised by a customer’s family. The driver involved has been requested to attend a meeting and all aspects of the incident are being carefully investigated.”