DIAMOND Buses came racing to the rescue after a Redditch resident was left standing at the bus stop.
Winyates Green pensioner Julian Prouse had booked an emergency appointment at Winyates Medical Centre after his health took a turn for the worse.
He set out in good time to get to the stop on Furze Lane/Far Moor Lane, only to see the No62 bus sail pass early, leaving him stranded.
“I thought of walking to the No 58 stop but I felt so rotten and wasn’t up to it,” said Julian, an active member of Redditch Older People’s Forum.
“Luckily I knew the buses carried a device which tells them whether a bus was on time, late, or early, so I rang up the depot and the guy checked and said the driver had gone past two to three minutes early.
“I explained I had an urgent doctor’s appointment and amazingly he said he would get someone to drive out in a car and pick me up and, sure enough, someone did turn up and took me to the medical centre.
“What a great service from Diamond.”
Chris Bridges, operations manager at Diamond in Redditch, said: “Our intention is to never leave anyone stuck anywhere.
“A bus arriving and then leaving early is a cardinal sin and the bus driver will be dealt with accordingly.
“I was unaware of this particular case but we have a good bunch of people in our team and residents should feel free to contact us with either compliments or complaints on 01527 813120.”