The Public Transport Board is investigating an American visitor's claim that she was driven against her will to the bus station to settle a fare after the driver refused to accept tokens or cash.

Chris Pettersen, from Seattle, was heading to a cooking demonstration on Front Street yesterday afternoon after getting on in Warwick when she found she had no adult tickets.

The female driver refused to let her use an equivalent amount of student tokens and then refused cash.

An angry Mrs. Pettersen said: "She said I could not pay money and then started driving off."

Mrs. Pettersen was told by the driver to stay put when it came to her stop and to continue to the bus station where she spoke to a male staff member about her plight.

"I asked the man is this what I have to do, what did tourists think of this? The man just said pay the money but she had refused to let me pay. Then she just laughed."

Mrs. Pettersen said she had not argued with the driver. "She was in control, she closed the door."But she did take up the matter with PTB.

"I just want to know other people are not treated like that."

Last night PTB director Dan Simmons said: "We are sorting that out appropriately. It is an internal disciplinary issue we are taking action on."