Bus company’s urgent probe after driver called for wheelchair-user who reported discrimination to be shot

A disabled bus passenger and campaigner has been left in a “state of constant fear” after he was shown “dehumanising” and “violent” messages exchanged between drivers that made fun of his weight and even called for him to be shot.

Arriva Midlands has now launched an “urgent” investigation after being shown screen shots of what it described as “distressing” messages.

Charley Jonstone-Brent (pictured), from Coventry, has been seeking justice for the discrimination he has faced at the hands of Arriva Midlands and its drivers for the last three years.

He has twice received compensation after the company failed to ensure its drivers were trained in how to secure his wheelchair safely on his trips to Leicester for hospital appointments, failures that left him with a broken ankle and two broken wrists.

He later had to complain again when a driver refused to allow him to board his vehicle and told him he was “banned” because he had previously complained about discrimination and safety issues.

This saw Arriva paying him a further £8,500 in costs and damages.

These cases of discrimination led to him working with Arriva to try to improve its staff training.

But now Jonstone-Brent has discovered that members of a private WhatsApp group of drivers had been exchanging offensive and threatening messages about him following last year’s stories by Disability News Service (DNS) about the discrimination.

The messages – seen by DNS – were sent late last year and made fun of his weight, accused him of lying about his injuries, and described DNS as a “fake news platform”.

Most disturbing, one of the staff members wrote: “F*****g shoot the fat c**t… if you see him tell him not to worry I’m at work earning him his benefits.”

Another one commented on a social media post which shows Jonstone-Brent standing away from his wheelchair: “This c**t!! Fat t**t can walk on my coach next time because I ain’t getting no ramp out.”

Another message said: “Hello everyone I’m collecting names to put to the union about this p***k in his wheelchair drivers are p****d about the whole situation and I want to know what the union are gonna do to protect us drivers so if your happy to have your name on a list for them then let me know….”

Jonstone-Brent is now considering further legal action against Arriva for harassment, discrimination and defamation, and has sent a “letter before action” to the company.

He told the company that the WhatsApp messages were “deeply distressing” as well as being “dehumanising, violent, and have left me in a state of constant fear”.

He wrote: “The knowledge that I was being targeted in such a way by people entrusted with public safety is deeply traumatic.”

He is now experiencing panic attacks and constant anxiety and struggles to sleep, and he says he avoids public transport whenever he can, particularly Arriva vehicles.

His partner, Chloe Child, said she had never seen him so “visibly shaken” as he was after he saw the messages for the first time.

She said, in a statement for his legal case: “He immediately feared for his life. He hasn’t been the same since.

“Charley now struggles to sleep, experiences nightmares, and is anxious whenever we go out.

“He avoids public transport, even when it’s the only practical means of getting somewhere.

“He constantly checks his surroundings, is hyper-alert, and often panics when he sees an Arriva bus.

“I have to reassure him constantly that he’s safe, and even then, I know he’s just putting on a brave face.

“It’s heartbreaking to see someone so passionate about helping others feel completely crushed and afraid.”

Jonstone-Brent told DNS that he felt as though Arriva was not taking his concerns seriously and was just “chucking money at the situation to try and keep me silenced”.

On 3 July – 15 days before he was shown the messages – he travelled to Milton Keynes and says he was subjected to abusive and hostile comments from a driver, including being told: “If you weren’t as fat as you are, you wouldn’t need to be in a wheelchair.”

He had been wrongly told he was not allowed onto the bus with an electric wheelchair, before the driver reluctantly allowed him to board after Jonstone-Brent called an Arriva manager.

After this incident, he is seeking an inquiry, compensation and an apology from Arriva, and a promise that it will retrain its staff.

Jonstone-Brent said: “These issues keep arising from the same company and are never being resolved.

“I feel let down, annoyed and saddened that I can’t make direct and easy journeys with them.

“It’s a massive inconvenience to me and Chloe that we now have to go out of our way and plan a journey three-to-four times as long as it does with the direct route which Arriva owns.

“I’m concerned that if this is happening to me, how many others are getting the same treatment and not speaking up about it?

“That’s why I’m campaigning for fairer, equal and accessible public transport for everyone.”

Asked about the messages, Ryan Dunne, Midlands area director for Arriva, said: “We are aware of the distressing screenshots that have been circulated.

“We have zero tolerance for the alleged conduct and we are undertaking an urgent and thorough investigation.

“We have been in touch with Mr Jonstone-Brent to unreservedly apologise, and we will continue to keep him updated.

“We are deeply sorry for Mr Jonstone-Brent’s experiences. We want to continue to work with him to further improve our services for disabled passengers.”

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