Bus firm apologises after girl, 14, misses connecting bus at Bulls

Maia Owens, 14, found herself between buses in Bulls. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand bus network Intercity have apologised to a Whakatane mother after a 14-year-old found herself between buses in Bulls.

But a spokesperson from the company said procedure had been followed it was not clear why the young girl missed the bus when two others transferring between the connecting buses had boarded the second vehicle.

Teina Owen said her daughter Maia caught an Intercity bus from Taupo to Bulls and was supposed to board a connecting bus in Bulls that would take her to Palmerston North where she was to meet a friend.

"My daughter called at 6.15 to say the driver of her connecting bus was driving away as she was getting off her bus from Taupo," Owen said. "She said the driver of the first bus asked her which bus she was catching from Bulls and when my daughter said the bus to Palmerston North, he told her it had already left."

Owen said it was fortunate the people who were to collect her in Palmerston North drove to Bulls to collect Maia.

An irate Owen called Intercity and says after an argument with the call taker, she was told her daughter's ticket would be refunded.

"The call taker apologised to me for the argument but not for my daughter being left in Bulls."

However Intercity spokesman Daniel Rode, said an investigation into the incident had been carried out today.

"We interviewed the bus driver and a passenger who travelled on the same bus to Bulls as Maia did and then caught the connecting bus to Palmerston," Rode said.

"Two passengers got off the bus to Bulls, collected their luggage and reboarded the bus to Palmerston while a further seven got off the bus to Bulls and boarded their connecting north-bound bus.

"We are not sure why Maia did not board the second bus. Our drivers always explain to passengers what happens once they alight from the bus into the car park at Bulls, on the approach to Bulls."

He said when the driver of the first bus saw Maia, he asked her which bus she was supposed to be catching. "When she said the bus to Palmerston North he offered to help but Maia chose to take out her phone and walk away from him.

"The usual process would have been the bus driver of the bus to Palmerston would have been turned around to collect the passenger but this didn't happen as Maia chose not to talk with him."

He said Intercity apologised for the incident that saw a young girl left in Bulls and had refunded Maia's ticket in full.