A bus driver has been fined after he caused an elderly passenger to fall over by pulling away from the bus stop before she was sitting down. 

Asa Cross, 39, of Laurel Grove in Lewisham, appeared at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on May 16 where he pleaded guilty to failing to take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of his passengers. 

Cross was the driver of the number 54 bus in Blackheath on August 10, 2022, when an elderly woman with a walking aid got on through the back doors, the court heard. 

Another passengers approached her and took her bus pass to tap on the reader at the front of the bus. 

Once the card was tapped the driver immediately pulled away causing the elderly lady to fall, the court heard. 

The fall caused bruising and a bump to the head which took over two months to heal. 

Cross was fined £266 and ordered to pay a surcharge of £106 to fund victim services. 

He was also ordered to pay £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.