Mother Outraged After Daughter Forced Out of Passenger Van for Refusing to Sit on Male Passenger’s Lap

A mother is demanding action from transport authorities after her daughter, a school student, was forced out of a passenger van in Belmont on Thursday afternoon for refusing to sit on another passenger’s lap.

The student, who lives in town during the school term to reduce costs for her family, boarded van H2891, named “ACTIVE”. The vehicle, which usually operates on the Georgetown route, was instead taking the Mesopotamia route that day.

According to the mother, when the van reached Belmont it was already full but still stopped to pick up more passengers. The conductor instructed her daughter to sit on the lap of a male passenger. When she refused, he suggested she sit on a female passenger’s lap. After declining both requests, the conductor forced her out of the van in Belmont—an unfamiliar area far from her intended destination of Colonarie. The girl was left stranded until a close relative came to pick her up.

The mother said she contacted the vehicle’s owner, who apologized for the conductor’s behavior and no one reportedly rhe matter to him . She also learned that the conductor did not report for work the following day.

When contacted, the driver of the van said he was not aware that the incident had occurred.

Calling the ordeal “unacceptable and dangerous,” the mother urged the relevant authorities to crack down on the practice of overloading.

“All passengers’ lives are in the hands of the driver, who is in control,” she stressed.

Passenger vans are typically licensed to carry 18 people, including the driver and conductor. However, concerns over overcrowding and unsafe practices continue to be raised by commuters across the country.