‘OLD-style’ stepped buses are making life difficult for passengers according to one frustrated mum.

Celia Felgate has struggled to use the 33 service from Warndon to the city centre because many of the buses are difficult to access with her pushchair.

Mrs Felgate, who has a seven-month-old daughter Evangeline, said on one occasion when trying to use the service she waited for two buses but both were the same stepped style.

“I had to try and fold up the pushchair and the driver just sat there sighing,” she said.

“I was on my own so I had to hand my daughter to a stranger while I folded my buggy up. It’s ridiculous.”

Mrs Felgate said once on the bus there was no storage rack so her pushchair had to be left in the aisle.

“The next day there were four people with buggies folded up,” she said.

“They aren’t accessible to wheelchairs either.”

According to Mrs Felgate, a bus driver told her the old-style buses were former school buses reintroduced on to the route because of a shortage but that has been denied by First, the company that runs the service.

In a letter responding to her complaint, the firm apologised for the inconvenience suffered and said the four or five vehicles used on the route were a mixture of low floor and stepped entrance vehicles.

Mrs Felgate said: “I’m really, really unhappy about it.

“A lot of people here are reliant on public transport and a lot of people have young children or mobility issues.”

Steve Zanker, First’s commercial director, said: “It’s not that we’ve got a shortage.

“We’ve got a set amount we’ve had for a while.”

Mr Zanker said there were changes planned for the 33 route in September which should improve the situation.

“We’ve got a couple of vehicles coming from Hereford which we have switched from depot to depot so we’ve got a few more going there,” he said.

“We try and make sure we allocate the low loaders to total routes rather than having them spread about.”

He said legislation would eventually see the stepped buses phased out altogether.