Passenger's chicken dinner falls ‘fowl’ of coach driver (From Bournemouth Echo)

Passenger's chicken dinner falls ‘fowl’ of coach driver

1:00pm Saturday 14th February 2009

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A NATIONAL Express coach driver has been criticised for refusing to let a couple take food with them on a journey between Ringwood and Bournemouth – even though they wanted it carried in the underfloor luggage area.

Vicki Botto and partner Nabeel Al-Humaidan, both 20, had been given a lift from Vicki’s parents’ home in Alderholt to Ringwood where they caught the 035 National Express to Bournemouth.

They wanted to get off at Bournemouth Travel Interchange before making their way home to Winton.

But before they got on at Ringwood coach station, the driver saw they had a package and asked if it had meat in it.

Vicki told him it was some chicken and tomato sauce. But the driver refused to allow it on board, or even put it in the underfloor luggage space, saying it was against the rules.

“We were going to eat it when we got home,” said Vicki, a nursery nurse.

“But instead we had to give it back to mum.

“When we’ve been on the bus before there have been people eating sandwiches and stuff.

“We were going to put it in the luggage compartment under the coach.

“Then, when we got off the coach the driver said: ‘If you’re asked again if you’ve got meat, just say no’.

“It was so frustrating.”

Vicki’s father Andrew said: “I pity anyone on a long journey who can’t now even take a bag of crisps or a sandwich on a long trip, or a student returning to uni with a bag of goodies from mum and dad to help them out.”

A spokesperson for National Express said: “We have asked the customer to contact us so we can investigate further.

“Our terms and conditions of travel inform customers that they are welcome to bring cold food on board all our coaches.”

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