Matt Stone/Louisville Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
A UK bus driver was reportedly fired for smelling like farts
A UK employment court has dismissed a former bus driver’s discrimination suit after her colleague complained about a powerful flatulence odor that was coming off her. In short, a woman was fired over cutting such a rancid fart.
According to reports out of England, Stephanie Bryan — a bus driver for The Big Lemon, an electric bus operator in Bristol — was fired after fellow driver Samantha Bingham noticed a strong smell near Bryan on a bus and reported it to their line manager, stating that the odor was consistent with fecal matter from flatulence, not urinary incontinence.
A female bus driver in the United Kingdom was reportedly fired for smelling like stinky farts
Bingham reportedly had to remove her clothes, put them in the wash, and shower after coming into the vicinity of Bryan. She also claimed that the smell was so pungent that she thought she had soiled herself.
When the issue was raised, Bryan allegedly said “everyone needs to fart,” per The Sun.
Bryan was dismissed on January 24, 2025, after a probation review found substandard driving, insufficient improvement during probation, and interactions with colleagues, though her personal hygiene was also discussed at the meeting.
She then sued the company, claiming disability discrimination and harassment over depression, borderline personality disorder, and bladder weakness.
The tribunal — which was heard in Bristol over three days in August 2026, with written reasons issued in September — found those conditions did count as disabilities under the Equality Act 2010 but ultimately determined that neither Bingham nor The Big Lemon knew about them, and that Bingham’s complaint was a genuine workplace concern unrelated to disability.
“The Tribunal does not find that the dismissal arose because of any consequence of [Ms Bryan’s] depression, borderline personality disorder or bladder weakness,” Judge Johnathan Walters wrote in the decision.
“Rather, the dismissal occurred because management genuinely and reasonably concluded that [she] had failed satisfactorily to complete her probationary period. [Her manager] did not know about the disabilities nor could he reasonably have been expected to know about them.”