Woman who was told to throw away her box of fried chicken before getting on a bus demands an apology

A young woman traveling alone at night in London was told she couldn’t board a bus because her fried chicken wings would ‘stink’ it out.

Grace Edun, 23, was informed by the driver that she would have to throw her food away or be left alone at the Woolwich Station stop after midnight.

Grace expressed concern for her safety as she traveled 40 minutes to her house in Bermondsey.

She further said that the bus driver insulted her as everyone saw her load food onto the vehicle.

The argument was filmed on the CCTV of the double decker, with the driver refusing to move while the woman was onboard.

Other passengers supported Grace and advised him to continue the journey.

She has asked Stagecoach, which operates the N53 route for Transport for London, to apologize.

According to the company’s policy on eating on buses, food is only prohibited if it causes “offence” or “upset” to other passengers.

Grace said today: ‘I was travelling on my own. It was late at night and I thought I’d be forced off the bus.

‘It can be quite scary at night and I’d have had to wait for another bus on my own. I could not believe it. I thought it was a joke,’ she added.

The CCTV footage shows her getting on at 12:06am on April 12.

The driver bangs on the screen to get her attention as she walks on said: ‘Oi sweetheart, you can’t come on with that food.’

A shocked Grace replied: ‘I can’t come on with food?’

He added: ‘You can’t come on with fried chicken like that, love.’

Grace replied: ‘What? When was that a rule?’

The driver repeated himself saying: ‘You can’t come on with open food like that. Get outside or get rid of it.’

Grace, who had been visiting a friend at her home, went upstairs on the bus to avoid the conflict.

He then said to another passenger: ‘What is the matter with her? I told her she can’t come on with fried food and she’s walked upstairs.

‘She can’t come on with fried chicken mate because it stinks the bus out.’

After another passenger persuaded him to, the driver ultimately succumbed and let Grace to continue her journey.

Grace added: ‘I have always eaten on buses, on the way home from school. There weren’t that many people on the bus anyway. Some people were just shouting at him to just drive the bus. I felt really embarrassed.

‘People were looking at me eating and I felt so fat. I felt a bit depressed by it. I went and sat upstairs right at the front for extra safety.’

Stagecoach’s website states: ‘You can’t eat or drink anything that will cause offence or upset other passengers.’

Marlon Osborne, TfL’s Head of Operations, said: ‘While it is our policy to ask passengers not to board buses with open containers of food for the sake of other customers, we ask drivers to occasionally use their discretion to prevent anyone being left behind in the middle of night.

‘In this instance Ms Edun’s safety was the priority and she was able to complete her journey.

‘The bus operator has spoken to the driver about the right way to approach situations of this nature in the future.’

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