The father of a severely-disabled girl who was abandoned on a school minibus for nearly seven hours has been told the driver and escort will not lose their jobs over the incident.

Asma Shah is 18-years-old but has the mental age of a three-year-old and needs adult help to even undo a seatbelt. As reported in yesterday's Telegraph & Argus, she was left on a school minibus last Friday when she should have been attending lessons at Chapel Grange Special School in Allerton.

Shamsher Shah, Asma's father, has been told that the driver of the minibus, an employee of Wrose Travel on Otley Road, who are contracted out by West Yorkshire Transport Services, and the escort who travels on the bus to help the children, have only been suspended from working on that particular school run.

But Mr Shah, who is a driving instructor, believes that much more should have done.

"That's the minimum that should be done," he said.

"This wasn't a mistake, it was negligence and it was totally unacceptable. It's cruelty, you wouldn't even do that to an animal," he said.

Mr Shah who is also a part-time magistrate said that whilst sitting on the bench he had had to fine people £1,500 for being cruel to cats.

"But this is a human being, this is my daughter," he added.

Asma has been travelling to the school for the past seven years. Last Friday she was collected as normal to go to school at 8.15am from her home on Wightman Street. But instead of being taken off the bus for school she was left on and was not found until 3pm when the minibus returned to school. By the time Asma returned home at 4pm she was in shock and very upset.

Mr Shah has insisted that from Monday Asma will not be travelling on a Wrose Travel vehicle and has asked West Yorkshire Transport Services to make alternative arrangements, which they have agreed to.

"I didn't want to see them each morning coming to collect Asma - it would be shocking."

Geoff Binnington, Contract Manager for West Yorkshire Transport Services (WYTS), said: "Everybody involved was very upset by this incident. We would like to apologise to the Shah family as this sort of thing should not happen and has never happened before.

"Immediately this came to our attention the crew involved were suspended while a joint and thorough investigation was conducted by WYTS, West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and Chapel Grange School. Asma's father was contacted and given our sincere apologies.

"The escort and driver both fully understood their responsibilities, accepted their mistake and were distraught that it had resulted in such a serious error. Neither will be transporting Asma again.

"This was a deeply regrettable and isolated incident, but for it to happen even once is once too often. We will all be doing everything within our power to ensure it is never repeated."

Mr Shah said that he had yet to decide whether to take legal action over this incident.