A MUM says she was left terrified following a dispute with a bus driver over a fare.

Cristina Underwood, 35, had boarded an M1 Wilts & Dorset bus at Westbourne on her way to an African dance class at the Pavilion in Bournemouth.

She says she was charged 50p too much for a ticket to Bournemouth town centre and when she asked to be refunded the difference, she was shouted and sworn at by the driver in the incident just before 7pm on Tuesday May 3.

Cristina, of Bournemouth, said: “He may have misunderstood. I did explain I had asked for a ticket to the town centre. Then he went loopy.

“I was in shock. I asked for his name but by then he was being really rude.”

At one stage the driver flung a £5 note out of the bus doors for her to pick up, she says.

“I refused to get off the bus. He took the £5 note and this is the worst thing, he just threw the £5 out of the bus.”

The driver later got off the bus, picked up the note and she was allowed to continue her journey to the town centre, said Cristina.

“I can’t believe he lost it over such a small thing,” she added.

Wilts and Dorset has since contacted Cristina to apologise and offer her a free 30-day pass.

Alex Carter, managing director at Wilts & Dorset, said that the company takes allegations of discourteous conduct towards passengers very seriously.

He said: “I can confirm that we are in receipt of the complaint and are investigating fully the accusation made against one of our drivers.

“Disciplinary action could be taken once all the facts are known. We may be able to view on board CCTV recordings to see if there was any sign of aggressive behaviour during the incident.”