A gay man was left in shock after a London bus driver allegedly “trapped” him inside a bus and shouted homophobic abuse at him.
Connor Cunningham, from Marylebone, claimed the driver accused him of “confusing children” after witnessing him kiss a man at the bus stop before getting on.
The driver then allegedly refused to open the doors until Connor shouted that she was “homophobic”.
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Connor Cunningham said the driver accused him of ‘confusing children’ wit his public display of affection
(Image: Connor Cunningham)
The 28-year-old, knowing he was safe to leave, told her: “Go **** yourself.”
Connor, a customer care advisor, had been on a night out in Vauxhall with a friend he was dating and told MyLondon he arrived at the bus stop at around 8.30am on January 16.
As the number 2 bus pulled in, Connor “intimately” kissed the man goodbye before boarding, heading to the back of the top deck.
When he arrived at his stop in Marylebone, however, the doors would not open, prompting Connor to ask the driver what was going on.
“At first I said, ‘excuse me driver’, but the doors remained closed and I began to hear shouting from the driver,” he said.
“She kept shouting and I then asked, ‘sorry, driver, what did you say?’, being polite as I had no idea what she was shouting about.
“Once I could hear her she then shouted at me ‘I saw you, I saw you kissing another man! It was you kissing another man at the bus station! Don’t you think you will be confusing children?'”
“I was in utter shock and disbelief.”
Connor then shouted: “Well I wasn’t expecting a homophobic bus driver,” prompting the driver to open the doors.
As he stepped off, Connor told the woman: “Go **** yourself.”
When he got home, the 28-year-old rang his dad, an ex-Met Police officer, for advice, who advised him to contact the police.
An officer visited Connor the next day to “discuss his concerns,” but the case was closed due to a “lack of available evidence and witnesses,” prompting Connor to submit a complaint to TfL.
After submitting a complaint, Connor was initially told the driver had “categorically denied” the allegations, but had been advised that any further complaints would result in formal action.
The Met Police ruled that the alleged incident was not a hate crime and closed the case
(Image: Connor Cunningham)
A week on from the alleged incident, Connor said: “I’m okay, but if it were someone else – maybe it was their first time kissing a guy… You can imagine how they would feel being told by a bus driver what they’re doing is wrong, don’t do it again – and they might not do it again.”
Asked if the alleged incident had made him cautious about publicly kissing men in future, Connor said: “At the end of the day we’re in Central London.
“These things are normal and it’s part of the reason I moved here in the first place – to have that kind of liberty.”
“It won’t stop me. I’ll still do it. I’ll still kiss boys in public, but of course, it’s going to make me a bit more cautious..”
An email from TfL to Connor seen by MyLondon stated that the driver has denied the incident took place but a note has been left on their file and further complaints would result in more formal action.
Siwan Hayward, director of Compliance, Policing Operations and Security at Transport for London, told MyLondon: “Everyone is welcome on our transport network, and we stand together against homophobia and hatred in all its forms.
“All passengers have the right to travel without fear of abuse and making public transport be safe and feel safe is an absolute priority for TfL.
“The bus operator’s investigation into this serious allegation remains ongoing and we have apologised to Mr Cunningham for a previous communication that wrongly implied the operator’s investigation was closed.”
Connor has called on TfL to keep audio recordings of bus journeys to make future incidents easier to investigate.
“On their website, they say they do not have audio recordings on their TFL London buses,” he said.
“I think they should because it would have proved my case and future incidents if they occur.”
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A Met spokesperson said: “Police were contacted on the morning of Sunday, 16 January, by a man aged in his 20s following an interaction he had had in which the driver of a bus had allegedly made a homophobic remark as he alighted a bus in Marylebone.
“Officers met the man. They discussed his concerns but, based on the information provided and lack of available evidence and witnesses, it was determined that no further police action would be taken.
“He was advised to submit a complaint to Transport to London and the case has been closed.
“The man has been informed.”
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