Bus driver quits mid-route and leaves passengers locked in by Angel of the North

Passengers were left stranded inside a bus by the landmark Angel of the North sculpture after the driver abandoned the vehicle mid-journey, reportedly saying: “You can stuff your job.”

The BBC reported how the driver of the Angel 21 service between Durham and Newcastle pulled over and left the bus, closing the doors behind him – with passengers unable to work out how to open the door from the inside.

Eventually, those on board the Go North East bus freed themselves after pressing a combination of buttons and flagging down another service.

After the incident on Wednesday, Liam Brian Kenny posted on Facebook: “Go North East, your bus driver on this bus tonight has just left the bus at the Angel and stormed off. Locking the bus with people on it.

He said that the bus driver added: “You can stuff your job.”

Bus company’s apology

Go North East said it “clearly can’t condone the actions of this driver” and that it will “ensure the issue is investigated and dealt with according to our internal procedures”.

The firm added: “We can only apologise to any customers who were inconvenienced by this event.”

It is not the first time a public transport driver has abandoned passengers mid-journey.

In 2016, a Spanish train driver clocked off after working the maximum number of hours he could – leaving more than 100 passengers stranded.