Elle Haring simply did not hear the "silent" bus that knocked her down in central Wellington.

The Valley Flyer bus, travelling about 25kmh, hit her from behind in Manners St, between Victoria St and Cuba St, shortly after 8am yesterday, she said.

"The bus was completely silent. I think if I had heard it, I would have looked.

ROSS GIBLIN/FAIRFAX NZ Ambulance staff treat a pedestrian who has been hit by a bus in Manners St.

"I don't remember stepping off the kerb, which is kind of scary really. All of a sudden I was just slammed.

"I wasn't knocked out. I remember realising what happened and hoping like hell I didn't go under the bus. I ended up on the footpath, which is good."

READ MORE: Pedestrian hit by bus in Wellington

Passersby came to her aid and called an ambulance. The 26-year-old, of Highbury, was taken to Wellington Hospital, where she was treated for scratches on her arm, and a bruised shoulder and ribs.

Overall, her injuries were minor, though she has been given several days off work to recover.

She believed the 30kmh speed limit probably saved her from more serious injuries. "I feel pretty lucky considering it could have been a lot worse . . . I think [the city council] slowing the traffic down has benefited me."

She said she typically caught the bus to work in Kilbirnie from Ghuznee St. But yesterday, having left her Snapper card at home, she decided to break the $20 note in her wallet at the Manners St dairy across the road.

She warned others to use their eyes as well as their ears when crossing the city's notorious inner-city bus lanes.

"Be aware and don't assume that, because you can't hear it, it's not coming."

NZ Bus chief operating officer south Tonia Haskell said the company, which operated the Valley Flyer buses, had started its own investigation.

As a matter of course the driver, who was "quite shaken up", had been stood down from work for today.

The bus had also been taken off the road today for checks. Wellington City Council spokesman Clayton Anderson said it would discuss the accident with Greater Wellington Regional Council and police.

The council was in the process of rolling out a pedestrian road safety "think, look, cross" campaign.

An NZTA report revealed pedestrians were injured in 17 crashes on the street between January 2006 and December 2010.

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