'Terrifying' ordeal for Sutton blind woman as bus drives off leaving guide dog stuck outside still attached to its lead

Chelsea Barsby, aged 25, who is legally blind after being diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma – eye cancer – at just one-years-old, was travelling home after a "promising" college induction day with her guide dog Pebbles, when she said their journey took a “terrifying” turn.

Chelsea, who caught the 3A Trentbarton bus after missing her usual bus, said the bus was “overcrowded” but expressed her “gratitude" to be seated in the disabled bay for part of the journey, as sometimes she said she is left standing or unable to sit in an “accessible” seat.

She said: “I am sadly used to challenging commutes but I feel it is much worse in recent years.

“Especially with accessibility concerns and lack of consistent aids such as speakers announcing stops, which do not always work and sometimes are switched off.

“I often rely on GoogleMaps to tell me where I am as I cannot read the text at the front of the bus.”

At 5:15pm on September 4, Chelsea said she pressed the stop button on the 3A before Hack Lane opposite the Staff Of Life pub where she followed her guide dog training and put Pebbles on a long lead, in preparation to exit.

But at that moment, she said the driver became distracted by a boarding passenger and was unaware of Chelsea and Pebbles.

As the guide dog stepped off, Chelsea said the bus driver closed the doors and started driving off, leaving Chelsea on the bus – unguided – with a "startled" Pebbles outside, still attached to the lead.

Chelsea said: “I had to yell for the driver to stop. It was terrifying. I have never experienced anything like it.”

She said once she was off the bus, the driver just closed the doors and pulled away “without an apology” for the incident.

Chelsea said she was “shaken” and “in tears” while Pebbles was visibly anxious by the driver’s “negligent” actions.

Chelsea said she had to remove the harness from Pebbles because the dog was too shaken up to guide her safely home.

Chelsea said the incident has “severely impacted” her daily life as eight-year-old Pebbles, once a confident and skilled guide dog, is "petrified" and unable to travel on buses, which Chelsea said has “massively impacted” her independence.

Chelsea shared a post about her experience in several Facebook groups appealing for witnesses from the journey to support her account.

She said it is time for buses to become more “accessible” for passengers with a disability, as she feels the "quality of experience" for disabled bus users is decreasing rapidly.

The 25-year-old said: “Drivers are putting people's lives at risk by allowing buses to become severely overcrowded.

“Drivers still allow passengers to enter the bus even after all seats are taken.

“This causes passengers to stand in the aisle, and prevents people with a disability being able to safely sit on the bus without worrying about getting on or off the bus.”

A Trentbarton spokesperson said: “We were very sorry to hear about Chelsea’s experience.

“Having made an initial mistake, we are all relieved that the driver stopped the bus immediately and had not fully pulled away.

“Our Customer Services Manager is in touch with Chelsea and has offered our apologies.

“We will be offering to take an empty bus to Chelsea’s home or a bus stop of her choice to enable her and Pebbles to regain their confidence about travelling with us, as we have done previously with other dogs who have visited our depots with their owner.

“It will also be valuable for us to hear any suggestions Chelsea has for improving how we deliver our services, so we can be even more conscious of the needs of all our customers and train our drivers accordingly.”