A WOMAN accused a bus driver of telling her to "do a wheelie" as she struggled to get her wheelchair on board.

Hollie-Anne Brooks went to catch a First Essex bus from Essex University.

The 30-year-old, from Wivenhoe, said the bus driver had lowered the bus before making a comment about "doing a running jump and a wheelie" up onto the bus.

Disability activist and writer Ms Brooks said she was upset by the comment.

She said: "I just felt humiliated, angry and disappointed.

"I’m sadly used to comments about my wheelchair - so many disabled people are used to it- but this felt so arrogant, so ableist and I refuse to accept it."

Ms Brooks said there had been a further confrontation when she tried to get off the bus.

It had pulled up too far from the pavement, she said, with the ramp at a dangerous angle.

The driver did eventually move forward.The incident happened on Tuesday.

Paul Coyle, head of operations at First Essex, said: "I am disappointed to hear of the incident and I have arranged for an investigation into the accusation to be undertaken urgently.

"This is certainly not the type of service I would expect any of our driving team to provide as it is both insensitive and unprofessional and not the correct procedure to follow for providing access and deploying the ramp for our wheelchair users."