A Metro train operator is under investigation after a video surfaced showing the driver apparently talking to a rider while running a Yellow Line train. The YouTube video, first reported by NBC4, shows a person perched on a seat by the operator’s door, head ducked inside the opening to the cab at the front of the train. The agency learned of the video Monday and began investigating the case, Metro spokesman Reggie Woodruff said Tuesday.
“Train operators are required to focus on the safe operation of the train, and we immediately followed up with our employee to address what appears to be an incident in which an operator is distracted,” he said.
The operator is getting refresher training, Woodruff added.
It’s the latest case of Metro workers getting in trouble through riders’ videos and photos. In July 2009, Metro officials cracked down on employees using their cell phones behind the wheel after riders photographed bus drivers and train operators texting and talking on the phone while in motion.
The agency toughened its three-strikes-you’re-out policy, creating a zero-tolerance policy in which drivers would be fired the first time caught using a cell phone. The new policy is even stricter than the agency’s policy on drug and alcohol use.
But the problems with distracted driving have extended beyond cell phones. One driver was busted while reading a book, another caught napping while operating a train automatically. And chatting to riders? Also distracting, according to Metro.
“They’re not supposed do it,” Woodruff said.
Operators are allowed to talk to riders via the intercom during emergencies and use the address system to make station announcements, but having a rider talking with them in the cab is not allowed, he said.
“We would also remind all riders that talking to the operator of a train while it is in service is strictly prohibited unless it is an emergency,” he said.
