December 29, 2014 at 7:58 PM

The Associated Press

A blind man and woman say a transit driver barred them from a Seattle bus by insisting the seats for disabled people were full.

KOMO-TV reports that Michael Mello and Cindy Bennett say they were trying to catch a bus Sunday on Capitol Hill when the driver insisted they wait for the next one. Mello says he told the driver that the couple could sit anywhere on the bus and didn’t need special seating.

King County Metro Transit operates buses in Seattle. A spokesman apologized to the couple Monday and said Metro Transit would investigate what happened.

In a statement, Metro spokesman Jeff Switzer said, “What happened is unacceptable.” He added that blind passengers are not required to use the disabled priority seating area.