A MAJOR transport firm has started an investigation after claims a bus conductor threw a pensioner off a bus went 'viral' on social media.

An allegation that a conductor refused to allow a woman in her 80s to travel on its flagship Hyperlink 72 service from Leeds to Bradford, because her bus pass had expired the day before, has now been shared tens of thousands of times on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

First Bus said it was treating the allegations "very seriously" and would undertake a thorough investigation.

One of the original Facebook posts, which has been shared tens of thousands of times, read: "The bus conductor on 72 bus from Leeds to Bradford chucked an 85-year-old woman off the bus yesterday as her OAP bus pass was 1 day expired... on 31st May.

"And she wasn't aware of it until he pointed it out sarcastically!

"He aggressively spoke to her in a loud voice, £2.60 he said.

"She was crying and shaking, saying she didn't realise it had ran out, as she said she didn't have enough money. 'I've only got 95 pence,' she said.

"He said to her, 'Get off the bus then.'

"So I offered to pay for her. The conductor said, 'It doesn't work like that,' and he chucked her off the bus.

"I was the ONLY person to stand up and defend her. I took pictures.

"It was raining badly. She was petrified, CRYING and shaking.

"She looked mortified. Not because her bus pass ran out, it was the nasty way he spoke to her.

"He even started on me."

The post was accompanied by what appeared to be photographs of a bus employee.

Dozens of complaints were yesterday streaming into First Bus via Twitter by people demanding it took action.

But a spokesman said neither the original poster of the comment, nor the elderly woman, had yet been in touch with the company directly so it was aiming to establish what happened through other means, such as examining the bus CCTV.

Bob Dorr, business manager for First in Leeds, said: "I'm very concerned to read these comments and we're treating these allegations very seriously.

"We have launched a thorough investigation that includes examining the specific details of the incident as the original post on Facebook has been removed and the account has been deleted.

"I can assure all our customers that First is absolutely committed to the highest standards of customer service and we'd expect our staff to use discretion in such circumstances and in particular to ensure vulnerable people continue to travel with us safely."