Ref. 72688-27 St Joseph's School students Rosie Castle, Carla Coupe, Emily Kurdziuk, Yenla Fanso, Gary Cruz and Winnie who were thrown off a busParents are preparing to complain to a bus company after a driver left school pupils stranded on a Swindon estate.

About 12 St Joseph's School pupils were thrown off the Thamesdown Transport bus shortly after 3pm on Monday following an argument with an abusive passenger.

And many of the teenagers, aged as young as 13, were left stranded in Liden Drive for more than an hour before setting off on a long walk home alone.

Bosses at the bus company say the driver was too upset by the ordeal to continue his shift.

But mum Julie Fanso, whose 13-year-old daughter Yenla had to rely on a lift with a friend to get back to Park South, said the driver's actions were out of order.

"I was angry when I heard the story and discovered it wasn't my daughter's fault," she said.

"She didn't have a phone on her so it was lucky there was someone there to pick her up."

Sue Coupe, of Lakeside, came to the rescue by cramming some of the abandoned children into her car, including her 13-year-old daughter Carla.

She said: "I just think they should have got another bus out to take them home."

Pupil Rosie Castle, 14, said the trouble started when a woman, who she believes was aged in her 40s, got on the Number 20 single-decker bus and started abusing the youngsters.

The pupil claimed the woman, who also got off but boarded another bus, has caused them all problems before.

"She was only on the bus for two stops but she was calling us disgusting names and swearing at us," she said.

"I think it's pretty harsh that we were thrown off as a lot of my friends live in Old Town."

David Burch, operations director for Thamesdown Transport, said the police were called.

"Until I've spoken to the driver I'm unable to comment further," he said.

"There is an ongoing problem with bad behaviour of St Joseph's School pupils on the buses."

Peter Wells, headteacher of St Joseph's School in Nythe Road, Coleview, said he had been told the passenger sparked an angry outburst from pupils after hurling unprovoked foul-mouthed abuse at a 13-year-old.

"I do not condone bad behaviour by our pupils but equally I do not approve a member of the public repeatedly abusing them," he said.

"I do not excuse our pupils but it does explain why they reacted in this way."

Ben Payne