Support For A Manchester Bus Driver who Was Fired Because He Was 'Too Small' Has Grown.

Over 13,000 people have signed a petition in support of one of Greater Manchester's first female bus drivers, who was fired because she was "too short."

"You might have heard a pin drop" when Tracey Scholes, 57, came into Manchester's Queen's Road facility as the first and only woman in 1987.

Scholes, who stands at 1.52m (5 feet) tall, has lost her job 34 years later because she lacks the "capacity" to operate the new model of bus that runs on her route. Scholes would have to bend back to utilize the assault screen due to a modification in the position of the wing mirrors and the pillar on an assault screen fitted to protect drivers.

Scholes claimed the decision has affected her emotionally and that she has "put everything on hold financially" since she is unable to plan for the future. She didn't buy any Christmas presents because she was worried about the end of her notice period in early February, which was approaching in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.

Scholes has experienced hurdles in a field that remains male-dominated – roughly 84 percent of bus drivers in 2021 were men – since her initial interview, when she was told there were no toilets she could use and asked how she would handle "the terrible language."

Because she wanted to "pave the way for women to come and drive," she was obliged to find answers to the job's physical problems while pregnant, including climbing on the dashboard to alter the bus route number and coping with sexual harassment.

"I've gotten a lot of comments, even sexual remarks. That's something I've dealt with before. "I didn't go to management; I went and fixed it and confronted it front on," Scholes explained.

"I could drive everything in that depot when I started that job 34 years ago." And now that they've done this, I'm unable to operate that bus. If a cyclist or pedestrian were to stroll along the vehicle's near side... I can't see it since it's blocking my view.

She was initially suspended and then sacked with 12 weeks' notice after voicing issues with her employer, Go North West. Scholes stated that with the help of her union, Unite, the company was able to offer her different routes with buses that she could drive, but the hours – and pay – are lower than in her prior contract. On Tuesday, she will file a last appeal against the ruling.

"I'm a widow with three children and a mortgage to pay," she says. "I'm not going to take a pay cut," Scholes stated.

Despite the fact that the company's decision "broke her heart," she stated the support she received from coworkers, celebrities such as actors Maxine Peake, Julie Hesmondhalgh, and James Quinn, and others has been "absolutely incredible." Over 13,000 people have signed the petition.