Stubborn bus passengers who refuse to get of the way for a wheelchair user could be “shamed” into moving by the driver bringing the journey to a halt, top judges have ruled.

Disabled access campaigners scored a victory in the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning when judges decided bus companies should do more to protect the rights of wheelchair users.

The court said a driver simply asking for the wheelchair spot to be vacated was not enough, and “unreasonable” passengers who would not budge should be pressured into giving up the spot.

The judges also said Parliament should consider revisiting equality laws in light of today’s ruling.

Disability campaigner Doug Paulley brought the case all the way to the Supreme Court after being left at a bus stop in February 2012 because a mother with a sleeping baby refused to move her buggy.

She said her buggy did not collapse and Mr Paulley was forced to wait for the next bus, missing a connecting train and a planned lunch with his parents.

Mr Paulley sued FirstGroup, the bus operator, for breaching the Equality Act 2010 by not making “reasonable adjustments” for wheelchair users who wanted to travel.

In its ruling today, Lord Neuberger agreed that the bus company’s policy had not done enough to protect the rights of disabled passengers.

“Where the driver concludes that the non-wheelchair user’s refusal (to move) is unreasonable, it seems to me that it would be unjustifiable for a bus-operating company to have a policy which does not require some further step of the bus driver in any circumstances”, he said.

“In particular, where there is some other place on the bus to which a non-wheelchair user could move, I cannot see why a driver should not be expected to rephrase any polite request as a requirement, and, if that does not work and especially if the bus is ahead of schedule, why the driver should not be expected to consider whether there was any reason why the bus should not stop for a few minutes with a view to pressurising or shaming the recalcitrant non-wheelchair user to move.”

Bus companies around the country will now be forced to re-evaluate their policies towards wheelchair-bound passengers, ensuring drivers apply more pressure to clear the designated disabled space.

Mr Paulley was initially awarded £5,500 damages by a judge at Leeds County Court, who found FirstGroup should have insisted that the mother move out of the way or be forced to get off the bus.

He also concluded that a sign saying “please give up this space if needed for a wheelchair user” was not forceful enough.

However, the decision was overturned by the appeal court, which found there needed to be a balance between the needs of wheelchair users and other vulnerable passengers, including parents with babies in buggies.

The Supreme Court found there could be circumstances where it was reasonable for a passenger to refuse to vacate the wheelchair slot. In these cases, Lord Neuberger said it would be “unreasonable” for the driver to apply any added pressure.

Lord Neuberger added that he was “unenthusiastic” about signs on buses being altered to say that a policy of everyone moving out of the way for wheelchair users “would be enforced”.

The Supreme Court also refused to reinstate the damages awarded to Mr Paulley.

The Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health, Penny Mordaunt, said: “This is an important and welcome ruling by the Supreme Court. They have recognised the duty of transport providers to ensure that their disabled passengers are able to travel.

“It is clear that it should not just be up to the disabled passenger to get a person to move out of the space, but the transport provider too. “I'll be talking to the Department for Transport about clarity, good practice & the powers of transport providers to ensure this ruling becomes a reality.

“Being able to get around is vital to living independently and this is a huge step in the right direction.”