BUS company Salisbury Reds has apologised to a dad after one of its drivers pulled away with his four-year-old son alone on-board.

Father-of-three Richard Bowman described the situation as “every parent’s nightmare”.

It happened last Saturday as Richard waited for a bus to Wilton in Fisherton Street.

While he was talking to the boys' grandmother, his son Woody sneaked unnoticed onto the wrong bus.

When passengers saw the distressed boy alone, the bus stopped 200 yards down the road, but immediately continued on its way after Woody disembarked with a stranger — fortunately a good Samaritan.

Richard paid tribute to the woman who helped his son, but is demanding the bus company reviews its policy to ensure children either have a ticket or are with a responsible adult.

"Drivers should be aware of who is getting on the bus," he said.

“Although my son was released into the hands of a caring individual, the bus driver should not have allowed a stranger to exit with my son in the first place.

“The young lady, unfortunately name unknown, was not given free admittance for the next bus and did not wish me to pay for her trip home on Red 1. A very kind gesture on her part.

“Wouldn’t the world, or even Salisbury, be a better place if we all looked out for each other?"

Salisbury Reds is reviewing CCTV footage and will investigate the incident.

Operations manager Alex Chutter said: “If this is the case, I naturally share the concern of [the boy's] parents and I would like to apologise to them and to our young passenger for any stress it caused."

He added: “The safety of those travelling with us is at the forefront of everything we do."