The council has apologised for issuing the ticket

The traffic warden issued the Bluebird bus with a penalty notice when it stopped in Manchester city centre.

Driver Chris O'Mahony pulled in to Lever Street in the number 77 bus and was handed the �40 ticket for stopping in a restricted area.

The ticket was cancelled after the bus company confronted Manchester City Council about what had happened.

Nick Painter, operations manager of Bluebird Buses, said: "We did raise a few eyebrows at the time.

"But once we explained what had happened to the town hall they apologised and, at the end of the day, it's only a parking ticket."

Common sense must come into it sometimes Nick Painter, Bluebird Buses

"If buses are illegally parked, by all means give them a ticket - the wardens are only doing their jobs - but not when they are picking up passengers.

"Common sense must come into it sometimes."

A spokeswoman for Manchester City Council said the issuing of the ticket had shown a "lack of judgement" by the warden, who works for parking enforcers Control Plus.