Bus driver, 57, who lost her job for being too short is reinstated

Bus driver, 57, who lost her job when bosses decided she was TOO SHORT after 34 years is REINSTATED after tens of thousands signed petition

• Tracey Scholes has been reinstated following an appeal meeting on January 11
• A crowd gathered outside a bus depot in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, to support 
• Bus company Go North West changed the position of their buses’ wing mirrors 
• This meant Tracey Scholes could not use them while keeping her feet on pedals

A bus driver who was left without a job after a redesign of the vehicles left her unable to operate them safely due to her height has been reinstated following a petition that attracted tens of thousands of signatures.

Tracey Scholes, 57, is 5ft and – despite having worked for Go North West for 34 years – could no longer use the bus’ wing mirrors while keeping her feet on the pedals following a redesign.

The bus firm offered the widow a deal to drive other buses, which she has accepted, following a final appeal on Tuesday 11 January, according to the BBC.

A petition demanding that Mrs Scholes be given her job back was signed by over 250,000 people, with a crowd of people turning up outside the Queens Road bus depot in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, where the appeal hearing was held. 

Mrs Scholes said in an interview with BBC North West Tonight: ‘I’ve never had a problem driving the vehicles in 34 years, but they’ve moved one of the mirrors on certain vehicles… and it’s caused a blind spot for me.’ 

Tracey Scholes, 57, has been reinstated after losing her job due to a redesign of Go North West’s buses left her unable to safely reach the pedals while looking at the wing mirrors 

Scott Maynard, Go North West’s HR director, said in a statement he was ‘pleased’ that Mrs Tracey, who he described as a ‘valued and long serving driver’ would be staying with the company.

Mr Maynard said the proposal she accepted following the January 11 appeal was the same one she had been offered in September 2021.

Under the new terms of employment, Mrs Scholes will start earlier, allowing her to operate a bus with wing mirrors that she can use safely.

Mrs Tracey’s weekly hours and rate of pay will not be changed. 

The union Unite, who have supported Tracey’s appeal to get her job back, described her as somebody who ‘broke the mould for women in the bus industry’ during her three-decade career

‘We have said from the start that we wanted to keep Tracey and we are glad that she has changed her mind and decided to stay,’ said Mr Maynard.

He continued: ‘It is categorically untrue that we would, or could, have threatened anybody with dismissal on grounds of height.’ 

Go North West has no height restrictions on recruitment, according to Mr Maynard, and employs ‘multiple drivers of the same height, or below, as Tracey’.

Mrs Scholes has been described by the union Unite as a pioneer for women in the bus-driving world with an ‘unblemished’ record of employment. 

The widow, who ‘broke the mould for women in the bus industry’, according to Unite, was the first woman to work at her bus depot.  

Source: Read Full Article