Bus driver who lost job for being ‘too short’ has job reinstated after appeal

Danny Jones

Victory for the vertically challenged

A bus driver in Manchester has been reinstated by her employers after she was sacked for being “too short”.

Tracey Scholes, 57, stands at 5ft (1.52m) tall and was given notice in November 2021 that she would be losing her job. Now, after large protests in her local area, Scholes has won her appeal and that decision has been overturned.

You love to see it.

"Just let Tracey drive her bus!"

Protesters show support for bus driver Tracey Scholes who lost her job for being 'too short'. https://t.co/rkifGKS53z pic.twitter.com/OT0ar9teKJ

— ITV Granada Reports (@GranadaReports) January 11, 2022

Despite having worked on the buses for 34 years and never having had “any problems with any of the vehicles”, employers Go North West made adjustments to their vehicles, meaning she could no longer reach the pedals without a blind spot appearing.

While there was a dispute over whether she could safely drive the buses regularly dispatched from her usual Queens Road depot, Scholes has reportedly “changed her mind” and has accepted an offer to drive different buses.

Speaking to BBC Woman’s Hour, Scholes told of how she’d raised safety concerns with the company more than two years ago and despite having managed to work out a solution together, she did not feel this was “[her] fault”.

Update: Bus driver Tracey Scholes, who lost her job after a bus redesign left her unable to drive safely due to her height, has been reinstated. @emmabarnett spoke to her last week before her appeal – listen back to our interview here: https://t.co/2vGp3fwFPP pic.twitter.com/ZOPOtTLYVF

— BBC Woman's Hour (@BBCWomansHour) January 18, 2022

Thankfully, the Rochdale-based bus driver – the first to ever work in her depot over 30 years ago – is now set to return to her daily routes, starting earlier so as to select the appropriate vehicle and with no change to her pay.

Go North West’s HR director, Scott Maynard, said that the company is “pleased” to be welcoming back a “valued and long-serving driver” and assured that “it is categorically untrue that we would, or could, have threatened anybody with dismissal on grounds of height.”

Well in, Tracey.