Horror as Megabus driver runs over motorway plunge woman - then drives on for another 150 miles
A BUS drove on for 150 miles after running over a woman who plunged from a motorway bridge.
The Dundee to London service struck her on the M74 after leaving Glasgow - but the driver carried on until his first scheduled stop, at Preston.
A relief driver then took over and the bus carried on until it was ordered to go to a depot in Rugby, Warwickshire, where passengers were transferred to two other vehicles.
Police investigating the incident will try to establish whether the woman was lying dead in the road or whether she was merely injured when the coach ran over her.
One passsenger on the Megabus service last night described his horror at the inci-dent which happened at about 11.30pm on Saturday.
John Thompson, 45, said he was aware the bus had struck a large object - but was left stunned by an announcement on the final leg of his journey.
The musician said: "In a very matter-of-fact manner, the relief driver said 'sorry about the delay, ladies and gentlemen.
"'As you may have realised there was an incident just after you left Glasgow. A woman jumped off a bridge and your Megabus went over her.
"‘The bus did not stop or you would have been stuck at the side of the motorway all night’.
“I do not understand why the driver did not stop the bus straight away.”
The Stagecoach Group, who own the megabus.com brand, last night confirmed they had launched an investigation.
John yesterday spoke about the nightmare on board the coach, which left Buchanan Street bus station at 11pm on Saturday.
He had spent the weekend visiting his elderly parents in Glasgow and was returning home to Twickenham, London.
But half an hour into the journey the bus struck a 45-year-old woman who had jumped off a bridge over the M74, near the Blackwood junction in Lanarkshire.
John said: "That noise will live with me for the rest of my days.
"I could hear something rattling under my feet and a dragging sound.
"I was sitting next to an American woman and she said we must have hit a fox.
"But I said: ‘That’s not a fox. It’s a human being’.
“It was a modern double decker bus and it would have squashed a fox flat and you would never have known.”
Police confirmed the alarm was raised by a passing motorist - who it’s thought had spotted the woman lying in the road.
It appears the bus may have struck the woman just minutes later, as the timing of the motorist’s 999 call is extremely close to John’s recollection of feeling an impact.
But the megabus did not stop unt i l it reached Preston in Lancashireand John then noticed some unusual activity.
He said: "I saw four or five guys with yellow jackets shining torches under the bus.
"They also arranged for a smaller bus to face our bus and put its lights on full beam.
“There was a change of driver and five minutes later we were on our way. Nothing was said.”
It finally became clear something was wrong when the bus reached Birmingham, it s penultimate stop.
It is understood Stagecoach bosses ordered the vehicle to the nearest depot in Rugby 30 miles away.
When the double decker reached the depot the 70 passengers were transferred to two other buses.
A source said that the original driver of the bus contacted police from Preston, and they then ordered the bus to the depot.
The bus finally reached London’s Victoria Station at 8am yesterday.
Strathclyde Police last night confirmed investigations into the incident are ongoing.
A force spokeswoman said: "Around 10.35pm on Saturday police were called to a report of a 45-year-old woman who fell from a bridge on the M74 near junction 9 at Blackwell.
“There would appear to be no suspicious circumstances.”
A spokesman for Stagecoach said: “Our immediate thoughts are with the family of the person who has died. We are assisting police and have also launched our own investigation.”
interveiwer " but you had the sense to phone the police during your ordeal?" daft bint " yes i rang 999 and asked them to send someone out" interveiwer “so how long did the ordeal last?” daft bint " almost a minute" wtf? no mention what so ever that the police arrived at the scene and no doubt checked the wagon, the drivers tacho etc and found him blameless and let him carry on with his work!