A young mother at the centre of a dispute with a bus driver, who allegedly kicked her and her baby off, says she is at ease knowing the driver is not behind the wheel.
Last week, Crystelle Bewley said she was waiting for a bus home to Wainuiomata in Lower Hutt when she alleges the driver told her and her 10-month-old son TeAriki to get off after she refused to fold her pram down.
Ms Bewley said she then had to wait on a cold and dark street for her next bus to arrive.
When she boarded the next one bound for Wainuiomata she told a fellow passenger what had happened, who then informed the driver.
The driver dropped Ms Bewley and her son at their home and told her to lay a complaint against the driver.
Following a second dispute with the same driver the following day, she then complained to NZ Bus.
Kevin O'Sullivan from the New Zealand Tramways and Public Transport Union said today that the driver would remain suspended while the investigation continued. They had not been at work since July 15.
He said the investigation would hopefully be completed by the end of the week, and until then, he could not make any comment.
"Once the investigation is complete, we will take it from there whatever the outcome might be."
Ms Bewley said she had received an email from NZ Bus last week, explaining that the driver would be stood down.
"They explained to me that the bus driver was still off the roads. I've been catching [the bus] a lot the last week."
She said she felt at ease using the bus knowing that the driver was off the road, and hoped NZ Bus would notify her when the investigation came to an end.
NZ Bus were not immediately available for comment.
- By Nikki Papatsoumas of NZME News Service
