A “frail and vulnerable” woman was left waiting in the cold for more than an hour – as there was no room for her wheelchair on a bus.

Diane Williams, 79, had got to Folkestone bus station with her daughter Amanda 20 minutes before the service to Hythe was due to arrive.

But the pair were left “gobsmacked” after being told there was no room for them on the 102 service because there was already a wheelchair user on board.

Amanda is now calling on Stagecoach to adapt its buses to ensure others who rely on wheelchairs are not left waiting outside as temperatures plummet.

“It was very cold for my mum,” she told KentOnline.

“We went to get on the bus and the driver just raised his hand up and told us it was full.

“This is because someone was already in the wheelchair space and I didn’t realise there was only one on the bus.

“While we were waiting another chap came in his wheelchair so we both had to wait. The next bus wasn’t going where we needed to get to so we let him take the space.

“We got the next one at 2.07pm so we’d been there for more than an hour.

“During this time, Mum should have eaten because she is diabetic. It didn’t even cross my mind that there would be an issue getting on the bus – I was gobsmacked.

“I just think it is atrocious. My mum is incontinent and cannot walk. I used to be able to get her in the car but I can’t lift her now and she has lost the use of her legs.”

The 56-year-old said the experience last Saturday has made her worried about using the buses with her mum.

After the long wait in the cold, the pair finally managed to reach Diane’s home in Hythe, which she had not been back to for eight weeks after moving to Wells Lodge Nursing Home.

“Next time I do it I’ll have to allow extra time or save for a taxi that allows wheelchairs,” she said.

“The temperature has really dropped now and if I’m in that position again with Mum in the winter, I’m just not going to be able to take her home because I can’t afford for her to be sat outside for that length of time – she’ll just freeze.

“It’s a special treat for her to be able to have a day out and go to her home but it’s not going to be if it makes her ill. Her health and wellbeing is my biggest concern.”

Ms Williams, who is a deputy CEO of a charity in Watford, fears the issue will put elderly people off being independent as they’ll lose their confidence in public transport.

“It’s a real catch-22 and the thought of taking my mum out again worries me...”

“Even if someone can walk partially, it doesn’t mean they should have to, as it may not be good for their health,” she said.

“Even if there was a warm waiting room, you wouldn’t wait inside there because if another person in a wheelchair arrives you lose your space in the queue.

“It’s important people stay independent but it will become an issue if this keeps happening. I think if it had been my dad with my mum, he wouldn't use the bus again – they’d lose their confidence.”

She is urging Stagecoach to adapt buses to allow for more than one wheelchair.

“I don’t blame the bus driver, they’re only following the rules – but Stagecoach should look at making more space,” she said.

“On the left-hand side as you walk in there are fold-up seats which they have presumably done for buggies so there is possibly more space available.

“It’s a real catch-22 and the thought of taking my mum out again worries me. We’ll have to find a taxi which takes a wheelchair which are few and far between.

“Someone needs to think it through a bit more because you can’t leave frail people outside, especially in the winter.”

A spokesperson for Stagecoach said bosses are constantly investing in updating buses.

"We're really sorry for the lady and her daughter who had to wait for the next bus because the wheelchair space was already occupied by a wheelchair user,” they said.

"The interior design of our buses reflects a compromise between the differing needs of various groups of bus users and the necessary legal requirements in respect of access and designated space for the disabled.

"All our buses are wheelchair accessible and we are constantly investing in updating our fleet to improve access and space for the disabled, disabled buggies and certain approved mobility scooters.”

It comes just days after KentOnline revealed a disabled woman on a mobility scooter was not allowed on board a park and ride bus in Canterbury.

Council chiefs apologised to her and said the driver was wrong, adding bus operator Stagecoach will apologise to her directly.