Passengers get out and push

[faceless]

Passengers get out and push
26th October 2007

A group of bus passengers got a bit of exercise on their journey - when they had to get out and push their National Express coach. The driver asked his 25 passengers for help after the 11.15am coach from Heathrow to Norwich broke down at a road junction in Mildenhall, Suffolk. Ten of them answered his plea and used all their strength to push the 14 ton coach around 200 yards to a nearby bus depot on Wednesday afternoon. They then had to wait just over an hour for a replacement coach to arrive so they could complete their journey to Norfolk.

Passenger Ronald Farebrother, 77, of Hethersett, Norfolk, said: "It was an amazing sight to see people putting their shoulders into pushing the coach. Luckily there were lots of strong young men on board - but a couple of women joined in as well."

Mr Farebrother, a retired printing executive, and his wife Heather were on the coach after flying back from a week-long holiday on the Amalfi coast in Italy. He said: "The journey was fine until we reached Mildenhall until the coach came to a sudden stop at a junction. We heard an awful noise that sounded like 20 Challenger tanks and the driver could not get the coach to move an inch. The engine was working - but the transmission appeared to have disintegrated so the coach was not going anywhere. The driver rang his HQ and tried to select the gears while he was on the 'phone so they could hear what the problem was."

"The coach was obstructing the road because it was in the middle of a junction and it was a bit of a hazard. The driver suggested that people get off and push and there were quite a few volunteers. I was going to help as well, but I have got a bit of a dicky knee and I didn't want to put it under too much strain. But even with all the young people pushing as hard as they could, the coach only moved forward a few feet again and then slid back again. After a little while a car with a towbar stopped and hitched up the coach so it could tug it round the corner with the people still pushing. The towing car and the people power at the back was enough to get it to the bus terminal where everyone had to get it off with their luggage."

A National Express spokeswoman last night said the coach driver should have waited so his vehicle could have been moved by specialist equipment. She said, "The driver should not have allowed this situation to happen and we will ensure that he receives the relevant training and support immediately. We believe the passengers and the driver thought they were doing the right thing, but clearly this was not the solution to the problem. A replacement vehicle was sent out within 40 minutes of the driver reporting the fault."

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He would have helped but he's got a bit of a dicky knee?