A teenager was left crying her eyes out after a bus driver left her stranded in the dark alone late at night.

Danielle Allen, 19, had tried to buy a ticket on a service from Canterbury to Margate when her card was declined.

The young woman desperately pleaded with the driver to let her on the bus and even showed him via her banking app that she had money in her account.

After attempting to pay with her contactless card and on her phone to no avail, she was told she could not board the service and was left alone at the stop near Sturry Road post office.

The Westwood resident broke down in tears, fearing someone could "attack or kidnap" her on the dark strip of road.

Bus operator Stagecoach has since conceded the driver should have let her travel "out of kindness" on the route 'eight' service last Thursday night.

Ms Allen, who is a cleaner at a gym in Sturry, says the bus arrived at the stop at about 10.50pm.

She tried to pay for her ticket with her bank card, but it was declined, so she attempted to purchase it on her phone, but that also did not work.

"The bus driver said he would give me one more try so I did and my card was declined," she said.

"I showed him on my phone that I had money in my account and that the issue must be with the payment machine.

"He told me there was a cashpoint nearby but I said I would have to wait an hour for the next bus.

"I said, ‘Please can you let me on this bus as I need to get to Margate? It’s dark, I’m alone and it’s late. I have no other way home’.

"I pleaded with the bus driver but I had to get off the bus.

"I panicked so I phoned my mum crying my eyes out because I had no other way home."

Ms Allen was left alone in Sturry Road, which she says was "dark and freezing".

And she believes there is "no reason" why the bus driver should not have let her on.

She added: "I was worried that something could happen as I don’t know the place very well and it’s a long, dark strip of road. I thought someone could attack or kidnap me.

"But it might not have been as serious as that - it could have been a man coming along and making me feel uncomfortable."

Ms Allen says she could not afford to get a taxi back home - which would have cost about £30 - and she did not have enough time to catch a train to Thanet.

She walked over to the nearby McDonald's, as she felt it was safer, and waited for her mum's friend to pick her up.

To add insult to injury, she managed to purchase something from the takeaway restaurant using her contactless bank card.

Ms Allen contacted Stagecoach's customer service team on Twitter about the incident.

"I thought someone could attack or kidnap me..."

The firm responded: "Out of kindness the driver should have let you travel.

"I have taken all the details from this complaint and will pass it on to the depot manager so they can do an internal investigation."

A spokesman for Stagecoach confirmed it expects its drivers to allow travel to young and vulnerable people in exceptional circumstances after dark.

"We have clear procedures to be followed in respect of young people or those who are vulnerable," he said.

"This type of incident is unusual and it's important that we understand how the situation could have been handled differently in order to ensure the safest possible outcomes."