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A teenager in a wheelchair captured on camera the moment a bus driver refused to let her on board and pulled off without her.

Melody Powell, 17, was left stranded at the side of the road after the driver of a 71 service at first lowered the disabled access ramp in front of part of the bus stop - meaning the muscular dystrophy sufferer was blocked from getting on - and then drove off.

Melody's friend Isabelle Miller had asked the driver to let her friend board by lowering the ramp for her wheelchair.

She was on the bus waiting for her friend to be able to get on when it pulled away - leaving a stunned Melody stranded at the kerb.

Writing on Facebook, Melody explained: “After my friend boarded the bus and asked the driver to pull forward as the ramp wouldn't reach the kerb, he drove too far forward and the ramp was blocked by the bus stop itself.

“After this a kind lady tried to explain this to the driver but he simply shut the doors and drove off with my friend on the bus leaving me alone and in the cold.”

Isabelle asked the driver to wait for her friend at the next stop but claims he refused, eventually dropping her off half a mile away, from where she ran back to meet her friend.

Melody’s mother Anita told the Standard her daughter, who has a form of muscular dystrophy, was shaken by the experience, which happened in Eden Street, Kingston, on Friday.

She said: “She was really shocked and upset really to have just been left like that.

“By the time she got home she was really, really angry that he could do that.

“She doesn’t often go on London transport on her own but that would certainly stop her doing it.

“She’s capable of doing it but I don’t think she’d feel 100% safe and secure really.”

Transport for London (TfL) is now investigating the incident, which it said did not meet the standards expected.

Mrs Powell said: “We wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to the driver. I just think there needs to be some fresh training.

“I think they need to be reminded about the needs of disabled people.”

Tony Akers, TfL’s head of bus operations, said: “I am very sorry to learn of this passenger’s experience.

“We expect the highest of standards from bus drivers and in this case they were clearly not met. We have spoken to the bus operator, London United, and they are investigating.

“We take accessibility extremely seriously. London has the largest fully accessible bus network in the world, serving the entire Greater London area and running to key towns over the boundary into neighbouring counties.

“The entire fleet of 8,900 buses are low floor, wheelchair accessible and are fitted with ramps for ease of boarding.”