A WHEELCHAIR-bound woman aged 92 was left stranded on the beach at Lyme Regis after her family say a park and ride bus driver refused to allow her on board. Kathleen Dibbard had travelled down to Lyme for the day with her daughter Maureen Dimishky and son-in-law Paul Dimishky last Sunday, August 11, to enjoy a day at the seaside.

But the fun turned to anguish as they attempted to get back to the Charmouth Road park and ride site when the bus driver said Mrs Dibbard could not take her wheelchair on board.

Mr Dimishky had to leave his family on the beach as he took the 15 minute return journey alone to collect the car and drove back to the beach to pick them up.

The bus company says the driver of the bus advised the family that it wasn’t safe for the elderly lady to try to board the bus.

Mr Dimishky, who lives in Henstridge, Somerset, said: “We were all very upset and annoyed at having to leave them there whilst I fetched the car. It completely defeats the point of having a park and ride scheme.

“My mother-in-law has difficulty in walking long distances due to her age, so we thought we’d get a wheelchair to help her with the hills. The reason we come to Lyme Regis is because even though the town is hilly, the beach front is flat and it is a lovely walk for us.

“We’d had a lovely time but this completely soured the day. We find it incredibly discriminatory.” Mr Dimishky said there were no problems in boarding the bus into Lyme Regis on their way in.

“The driver of the first bus was very helpful. He couldn’t do enough to help us. He opened the boot to put the wheelchair in and helped my mother-in-law onto and off the bus.”

The service is owned and managed by Mike Halford Coaches, and is regulated by the Department for Transport.

Responding to the complaint, Mike Halford said he was very disappointed to have caused offence, and offered Mr Dimishky a full refund of the ticket fare. Mr Halford said: “The driver told me he had no intention of discriminating against Mrs Dibbard.

“His main concern was for her safety, as the vehicle he was driving was a back-up vehicle, and due to the steep road camber and design of the bus entrance it would have made it difficult for her to gain access. The driver stated he felt her safety took priority even at the risk of encountering customer dissatisfaction.”

But Mr Dimishky rejected the company’s statement saying: “All I want is a written commitment that wheelchair users or young mums with pushchairs will be taken on the bus in future.”