TERROR TRIP: Sharlene Ayley says her son Seth could have been badly hurt when a bus door closed on her and drove off with the pram still outside.

A pregnant woman feared for the safety of her toddler and unborn baby when a bus driver closed the rear door on her hands and drove off, leaving her pram and toddler suspended about 60 centimetres off the ground outside.

Nine-weeks pregnant Sharlene Ayley, mother of 14-month-old Seth, laid a complaint with police yesterday after the incident in Mill Rd, Otaki, on Friday.

"I was petrified," she said. "I was panicking, knowing the driver had no idea I was trapped in the door. I yelled out to the driver four times but he did not hear me. Another passenger had to bang him on the shoulder to make him stop after we were dragged 20 to 30 metres along the road."

When the bus stopped and the door was opened, Mrs Ayley got out and the driver drove off. "He didn't even apologise, just drove on. My son could have been hurt. Hanging out like that he could have banged into a parked car or anything."

She was relieved her son had not seemed to have realised what had happened, but concerned about the effect of the incident on her unborn baby. "I am only nine weeks, early days when things can go wrong."

With no other transport, she was forced to a catch the bus home later in the day and the same driver picked her up. This time he apologised. "He said, "Oh, sorry about that" – it was not heartfelt."

When she got home, she rang the bus company, Madge Coachlines, and was told she should have used the front door to get off.

A company representative apologised and offered her a free trip as compensation, but she did not think that was good enough.

"It was disgusting and negligent. It put my son's life in danger. The driver should be fired. My son could have had suffered serious injuries."

Madge Coachlines' Palmerston North operations manager, Graham McKay, said he and the bus driver, who had been upset by what took place, had apologised and Mrs Ayley had been offered a free trip. `I am satisfied with the outcome – the last thing we want is someone injured."

Although it was not company policy, he encouraged staff, for safety reasons, to get people with prams to use the front door to get off.

"Sometimes there could be a visibility problem. It is about being aware of them."

He did not believe the bus moved off before the door was released. "I beg to differ. I do not think it moved off, I do not think it travelled 50 metres up the road."

Sergeant Noel Bigwood, of Otaki, said police and the Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit would look into the incident.

Last week a Victoria University student was dragged by a bus for five metres after her foot was jammed in the back door. The bus company, Newlands, is investigating that incident.