A Wellington paraplegic wants some local bus drivers suspended on no pay for what he calls their abusive and bullying behaviour towards disabled passengers.
Max Richards says he has been complaining for years about how drivers treat him, including three complaints about one particular driver - but nothing changes.
Mr Richards told Radio New Zealand's Checkpoint programme on Thursday some drivers are even reluctant to put the bus into kneeling mode to allow him to get on board.
"They'll huff or they'll roll their eyes or they'll swear under their breath. So then I'll get on the bus and they'll put the ramp up and I'll have to either ask to put the seat up so I can fit in - usually it's the passenger that does it. Then, before I'm in the seat, the bus is moving and I'm sprawling round the floor."
Mr Richards said there are some good drivers, but the majority of his trips are unpleasant and, in one case, frightening.
NZ Bus chief operating officer Rachel Drew told Checkpoint she was unclear of the details of Mr Richards' case at this stage, as she didn't have that information in front of her.
Ms Drew said she would be quite happy to have a conversation directly with Mr Richards and understand his issues. She said she would certainly investigate his particular complaint further.
Ms Drew said when there were complaints about a particular driver, those complaints were investigated.
"We'll talk with the driver involved and understand their side of the story. If there's retraining needed, we'll provide that support. If there's a consistent pattern of behaviour it will be dealt with appropriately."
