A woman who lost her job after she was deemed “too short” to drive buses safely has been reinstated.
The media reported that Tracey Scholes was told she was unable to drive safely due to her height and was given her notice in November after turning down alternative offers from her employer.
However Tracey appealed against the decision which came about after Go North West made changes to their vehicles with the result that she could no longer “reach the pedals to drive” without a blind spot appearing.
Tracey, who stands at 5ft tall, was reinstated and her employer said she had accepted an offer to drive different buses.
The trade union Unite claimed that the bus operator repositioned its wing mirrors and Tracey was deemed too short to use them at the same time as reaching the pedals.
The union said Tracey was offered an alternative role at the company, but for reduced hours and pay. She declined the offer and was given 12 weeks’ notice.
She appealed against the decision and the media reported that thousands of people signed a petition calling for Tracey to be reinstated.
The BBC reported that Tracey’s weekly hours and rate of pay would not change and a statement from Go North West said the company was pleased that a “valued and long serving driver” was to stay with the firm.
The company added: “We have said from the start that we wanted to keep Tracey and we are glad that she has changed her mind and decided to stay.
“The company operates no height restrictions on recruitment, and has multiple drivers of the same height, or below, as Tracey.”
