The WRC rejected a customer’s disability discrimination and reasonable accommodation complaints against a bus company, finding its commuter policy was justified and another bus was available shortly afterwards. The decision was dated 7 November 2016.
The customer said a driver asked her to leave a bus after she presented her free travel pass. She said the incident upset her and made her fear she would miss a hospital appointment. A bus company said prepaid commuters could be prioritised when the first bus was busy, and that another bus would arrive shortly with enough capacity.
The adjudicator found the policy was applied impartially and did not treat people with disabilities less favourably. She also found the following bus would have accepted the customer’s pass and taken her to her destination in time. The adjudicator did not find that she had been harassed and said the complaint failed.