Kindergartner dropped at wrong bus stop

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Teresa Bates' granddaughter won't forget her first journey on the Andrew Brown school bus.

"It was horrible! That was her first day and the first thing she said was 'Granny, I don't wanna ride the bus anymore.'"

The five-year-old was dropped off at the wrong location nearly four miles from her home.

She should've been dropped off near 42nd and Mithoeffer not 42nd and Shady Lane.

"She and two other kids knocked on every door until they got to the end of Shady Lane. A lady let her in to use the phone so she could call and tell her mom she was lost," Bates said. "I had to search for her more or less. I was terrified. "

He forgot. That’s what the owner of Bus Mart says happened Monday evening. The driver has been suspended for two weeks without pay.

"I don't think that is good enough. Anything could've happened," Bates said."I want to see him go into another profession and loose his job."

 Ron Halbert, the owner of the company, said “this is an unfortunate incident. ”

“He was told in the morning he had a new kindergartner and through the day he forgot,” Halbert said, noting the driver hasn’t had many problems. “(He) has been a faithful and safe bus driver for many years. ”

The female kindergarten student was unharmed.

Halbert says his driver made two mistakes. The first, forgetting and the second “letting her off with another child who claimed to be her cousin,” Halbert said.

Hablert says another student informed the driver that the girl left behind her coat, with her new address attached.

The school declined to comment on camera but released the following statement through its public relations firm:

"Andrew J. Brown Charter Academy can confirm that a student was dropped off at the incorrect bus stop on Monday evening. We are pleased that the student is safe. The safety of all of our students is a priority for us at Andrew J. Brown which is why we are conducting a thorough investigation. The bus driver is employed by a private company and action will be handled there. We have requested a different driver for this route. To protect student privacy, we never release individual student information. ”