CHRISTMAS can be a stressful time, especially on the roads, and nothing is more stressful than a pre-Christmas Saturday in York’s city centre.

Being of bus pass age, I encounter a lot of bus drivers, and let me just say they do a fantastic job, squeezing their vehicles through our cramped and busy streets.

But I was puzzled and shocked to witness the actions of the driver of a No 9 Monks Cross bus at the stop outside Marks & Spencer in Pavement.

A previous No 9 had picked up most of a long queue, leaving a few people to wait for the next bus. This bus contained barely a handful of passengers.

After allowing several more people on his bus, the driver promptly closed his doors, totally ignoring the fact that several young women, including my friend, were rushing to get on.

My friend and another girl were stunned by the driver’s actions and were understandably furious.

My friend did knock on the bus’s door, after which the driver opened it and said, in quite an unsociable tone: “One, don’t bang on my door, and two, don’t shout at me!”

He then shut the door again, leaving, by now, about a dozen people and drove off with three-quarters of the bus empty.

Mr A Glasby, Bishopthorpe Road, York.