Sacked bus driver 'farted so badly' colleague 'washed uniform and needed shower'
A bus driver who was sacked has lost her disability discrimination and harassment claim against her employer over a farting incident.
Stephanie Bryan from Bristol had been working for bus company the Big Lemon when she experienced flatulence so bad a colleague suspected she had soiled herself, a tribunal heard.
The employment tribunal heard that Ms Bryan had allegedly produced ‘significant flatulence’ before her co-worker noticed the lingering odour.
Fellow employee Samantha Bingham, who had smelt the alleged stench when she started her shift and sat in the same seat, had concluded that Ms Bryan had soiled herself.
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The tribunal heard of an incident in January 2025, in which Ms Bingham 'became aware of a significant odour whilst working in proximity' of Ms Bryan, and 'genuinely believed the odour emanated' from her.
"She had sat in the driver’s seat of the bus shortly before she commenced her duties on the bus," Judge Jonathan Walters said. "The Tribunal accepts the evidence that the odour was consistent with faecal matter potentially caused by significant flatulence which had led to soiling and was not associated with urine or urinary incontinence."
After retuning home, Ms Bingham's partner also sensed the smell and asked if she had defected, meaning she had to wash her clothes and 'immediately' take a shower, the tribunal was told.
"The episode had been so significant that when the second respondent returned home that evening her partner asked her whether she had in fact soiled herself" the judge said.
"She was obliged to remove all her clothing and place them in the washing machine and she then immediately took a shower."
As per the tribunal, When Ms Bingham confronted Bryan over the incident, she allegedly said in her defence: "Everyone needs to fart and let out gases."
However the tribunal heard that Ms Bryan reacted ‘negatively’ to the accusations, despite Ms Bingham being ‘genuinely and reasonably concerned by the situation she found herself in’.
"The Tribunal is satisfied that the second respondent was raising a genuine workplace concern with the claimant," the document read.
"The concerns about hygiene were also raised sensitively and appropriately in private."
Ms Bryan was let go from her job with The Big Lemon following the incident following a probation review. The tribal said she had been on a three-month probation period from September 2024, which was extended to January 2025 due to ‘concerns regarding her performance’.
However the bus driver went on to sue the company for disability discrimination and harassment, alleging that she was treated unfairly.
The tribunal heard that issues were also brought up to Ms Bryan about personal hygiene, and found the concerns 'related not to bladder weakness but to body odour and had arisen from complaints made by colleagues', finding that the probation meeting was 'conducted appropriately'.
The hearing also found that Ms Bryan did not inform the bus company bosses of her depression or existing bladder weakness and that therefore management did not know whether these could contribute to hygiene problems.
The Bristol Employment Tribunal later rejected her claims, ruling that Ms Bryan’s complaints were not related to her health.
It was instead ruled that Ms Bingham had raised ‘a genuine workplace concern’, and there was ‘absolutely no evidence before the tribunal that[she had any knowledge of the claimed disabilities nor ought she reasonably to have known about them’.
The hearing dismissed both the discrimination and harassment claims
"The Tribunal is not satisfied that any unfavourable treatment was because of something arising in consequence of her disabilities," the judge said.
“The dismissal occurred because management genuinely and reasonably concluded that [Ms Bryan] had failed satisfactorily to complete her probationary period."
Topics: UK News
James Holt