Metro is rethinking how it disciplines bus drivers who read while behind the wheel after The Examiner
The transit agency plans to reprimand the driver with a written warning, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said Monday. The reprimand would be the driver’s first violation under the current policy, which allows drivers four strikes before getting fired if they are caught reading while driving.
The current Metro policy for bus drivers caught reading is:
¥ A reprimand for the first offense.
¥ The second violation results in a three-day suspension.
¥ A third gets an “indefinite suspension.”
¥ The fourth leads to termination.
Source: Metro
“It’s not acceptable operating a bus and reading at the same time,” Taubenkibel said.
But the agency is looking at instituting more serious punishments in the future, he said, as it did last week with a zero-tolerance policy on using cell phones and other electronic devices. The previous rules for using cell phones or texting on the job gave drivers three chances before getting fired. Now they will be fired immediately.
The case of the book-reading driver shows that drivers can distract themselves with more than just new technology. “You should never be doing it period, even though the objects are different,” Taubenkibel said. “You shouldn’t be doing it at all.”
Metro declined to give the driver’s name, saying personnel records are private. He will be allowed to continue to drive, Taubenkibel said.
The driver, who Taubenkibel said has worked at the agency for 13 years, could not be reached for comment. The president of the union that represents bus drivers did not respond for comment Monday.
The photograph was taken last month by a Washington Examiner employee who was riding the bus in downtown D.C. The bus was traveling in stop-and-go traffic on Connecticut Avenue between K and L streets on a rainy weekday, according to the rider. No crashes occurred while the rider was aboard.
The photograph was taken last month by a Washington Examiner employee who was riding the bus in downtown D.C. The bus was traveling in stop-and-go traffic on Connecticut Avenue between K and L streets on a rainy weekday, according to the rider. No crashes occurred while the rider was aboard.
Taken with an iPhone, the image is just the latest case of riders capturing the misdeeds of Metro employees with handheld devices. A train operator and bus driver were filmed text messaging, while a third was captured apparently napping while operating a train automatically.
Metro officials have said they welcome riders’ photos or videos of Metro drivers who misbehave.
