A BUS company boss who left scores of passengers stranded by taking her fleet off the road without notice has been stripped of her licences.

CatchMeBus.com Ltd's transport manager Suzanne Bailey had her authority to run local services revoked at a public hearing after being told she had left people "high and dry."

The hearing yesterday heard that the day after services stopped last November, Mrs Bailey, of Blackburn Road, Rishton, was arrested by police investigating allegations of insurance irregularities.

Officers seized computers, documents and cash from the company's Appleby Street offices. She is still currently on police bail pending further inquiries.

Deputy traffic commissioner for the North West, Mark Hinchcliffe, told Mrs Bailey, she could only re-apply for licences to run local services when she was: "Fit enough, enthusiastic enough, committed enough and able enough."

He added: "Having been told there could not be a surrender you took a unilateral decision to defy the traffic commissioner. Revocation is the only real course of action open to me.

"Since you are not currently operating buses, that can come into affect forthwith."

Mr Hinchcliffe rapped Mrs Bailey by referring to her previous record for running services, when she had been described as "cavalier and reckless in the extreme."

The hearing was told of a public inquiry in 2002, in relation to another small bus company Mrs Bailey ran in Blackburn, DSP Travel.

Her licence was revoked after her record was criticised but it was returned on appeal.

Mrs Bailey told yesterday's inquiry at Blackburn Town Hall that she had been subjected to an unfair bus inspection regime, that monitoring of her services was inaccurate and she had been hampered by congestion problems in Blackburn.

She said drivers walked out on her company and ill-health eventually forced her to give up.

That meant, she added, that she was unable to give the traffic commissioner's office and passengers the required 56 days notice before halting services last November.

Gary Hodgson, representing Mrs Bailey, said his client's arrest shortly after services were withdrawn made it impossible for CatchMeBus's fleet to get back on the road.

Mr Hodgson also argued that the public had not been affected too badly because Blackburn Borough Transport, a council-owned bus service, had covered most of the abandoned services.

Mr Hodgson said: "Mrs Bailey should be given credit for running her business quite well.

"She should be given sympathy for the fact that if a situation like this affects someone's health in this way, it becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back."

The inquiry was told how on November 25 last year Mrs Bailey telephoned the traffic commissioner to say she wanted to surrender her licences for local services.

Her request was refused and Mrs Bailey was told if she wanted to quit she must give the required period of notice.

On November 27 Mrs Bailey wrote to challenge the decision.

Mr Hinchliffe said he had found no evidence of bad faith on the part of vehicle inspectors, that time-table monitors had acted professionally and that Mrs Bailey's ill-health had occurred only after services were withdrawn.