AN 18-years-old Leigh student claims she will never use late night buses again after being dumped at midnight miles from home.

Kim Jenkins, of Manchester Road, alleges she and three other passengers were ordered off the First Manchester bus from Manchester city centre at Atherton's Punch Bowl on June 1, despite having been told it was bound for Leigh.

Kim and her 17-years-old friend Ryan Dean, had to be rescued by Kim's mother, Christina, who was waiting at a bus stop in Leigh to collect them.

"Thank goodness for mobile phones," said Christina, who has complained to the company about the incident.

Kim said she and Ryan just missed the last scheduled bus from Piccadilly at 11pm and were advised by her mum to catch a train to Atherton where she would pick them up.

However, after asking a First Manchester employee to point them to a Leigh-bound bus they boarded one indicated at 11.15pm, and rang her mum to tell her. When the driver shouted "end of the line" at Atherton they, and the remaining passengers, also believing the terminus was Leigh, were stunned.

Drive

Kim said: "Next time we go out in Manchester I'll drive. We used the £2.50 return service to save parking and petrol costs and for convenience, but this is not the first time we've had trouble getting home. On some occasions the last regular bus has not turned up and we have had to wait ages for the late night service."

Kim said the incident had been reported to the company's complaints department, but she had been told that the driver insisted passengers had been told that journey's end was Atherton and it was her word against his.

Kim added: "I've lost trust. The driver did not say it was an Atherton bus and it said Leigh on the front. We wouldn't have got on in the first place if it hadn't been going to Leigh!

"I'd just like to warn others about using the service."