WRC rejects disability discrimination complaint against Dublin Coach

The Workplace Relations Commission found a disability discrimination complaint against Last Bus Limited, trading as Dublin Coach, not well founded in a decision dated 14 September 2023. Paul Phelan said he could not book a seat online using his free travel card for the Cork to Kilkenny bus, which he said caused stress and made it harder to know whether he could travel. He paid €15 to prebook seats on two journeys in October 2021. The company said it reserved 10 of 50 seats for passengers who turned up without booking. The officer found there was ample capacity for unbooked passengers on the October dates and that the company had not been told of Phelan’s specific diagnosis or support needs at the time. The officer concluded that Phelan had not established a prima facie case of discrimination, meaning enough initial evidence to support the claim, and the complaint failed.