Aldona Dziura
1/5
Unacceptable Behavior by Marshall Coaches and Their Employees
I am extremely dissatisfied and outraged by the recent experience my son had with Marshall Coaches. On 24 September 2024, my son, a student at JFK School in Hemel Hempstead, was left stranded at the bus stop by one of your drivers, Mike, simply because he didn’t have access YET to his bus pass . Despite the fact that my son was clearly wearing his school uniform, indicating he was a legitimate passenger, the driver refused to let him board the bus and made no effort to offer him a reasonable solution—such as allowing him to travel to the next stop or contact me to forward the pass.
This is not only irresponsible but shows a complete lack of empathy and understanding towards children. Mike’s attitude was uncooperative and ignorant, displaying no concern for child welfare, which is crucial when working with school transport. His actions directly violated child protection policies, and this situation should be taken seriously by the company.
As a result of this reckless behavior, my son had to return home, and I had to drive him to school myself—a 15-mile journey—causing me to be late for work. This is despite the fact that we have already purchased an annual ticket for the school bus service.
What disciplinary action does Marshall Coaches intend to take against a driver who would leave a child alone, with no regard for their safety, simply because of a missing bus pass? It is appalling that no alternative solution was offered.
When I called Marshall Coaches to complain, I was treated in an unbelievably rude and unprofessional manner by the office staff. The woman I spoke with was dismissive, refused to listen to my concerns, and astonishingly, asked me to send my complaint to Mike’s email address—yes, the same driver who abandoned my son at the bus stop! This is beyond a joke. When I pointed this out, she became furious, used the f-word, and hung up on me. This level of customer service is shockingly low, and the complete disregard for parental concerns is outrageous.
To make matters worse, I later received an email from your company in response to a witness who saw the incident and contacted you. The email stated that my son was left behind because he "was not wearing his school uniform." This is a blatant lie. The bus has CCTV footage, and I fully intend to take this matter further. How can you employ such irresponsible staff and allow them to work with children?
This entire experience raises serious questions about Marshall Coaches' commitment to child safety, customer service, and professional integrity. I hope someone in your company takes this seriously and addresses the behavior of both the driver and your office staff.
This situation cannot be ignored, and I expect prompt action.
Thanks for reading this and hopefully Marshalls take my perspective into account.
