The TTC has suspended a bus driver after a video showing he took an unscheduled break surfaced on the Internet. It is the latest photographic evidence of rule breaking by TTC employees that has infuriated transit users who were already dealing with a fare hike that greeted them in the New Year.
On Wednesday evening, rider Reuven Politi posted a seven minute video on Youtube that shows a night bus driver stopping at a coffee shop near Finch Avenue West and Wilson Avenue.
He says the driver went to the bathroom and got a drink while riders waited on the idling bus with doors open around 3 a.m. on Friday.
On Thursday morning, the Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union issued a statement saying that the driver has been suspended pending an investigation.
It said it will not comment while the investigation is active.
While it's not uncommon to see bus drivers who are ahead of schedule to idle their vehicles, Politi claimed the bus was already 15 minutes behind schedule and says the bus driver has taken similar unscheduled breaks in the past.
The video shows Politi asking another passenger if the driver normally takes breaks on this route, and the passenger nods yes.
The TTC apologized and said it is unacceptable for drivers to leave passengers on a running bus. TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said a bathroom break should only take about three minutes, not seven.
"You don't have your lunch break mid-route with customers," said Ross.
"If you need to use the washroom…tell your passengers on board the vehicle what you're doing."
Riders told CTV Toronto that drivers on a number of routes take coffee breaks all the time.
"Sometimes we are hurrying from work and then we're waiting for 15 minutes just because they're getting Starbucks," one woman said.
The latest employee caught in the act
This is only the latest photo snapped by transit riders of TTC workers who appear to be slacking on the job.
A series of photos sparked anger among riders already fed up at what they call poor service, and rude employees.
Two weeks ago, a now-infamous photo of a TTC collector sleeping in his booth at McCowan station went viral.
Another collector was snapped snoozing at Union station a few days later.
Customers were already lamenting a very unpopular January fare hike, which increased the cost of a one-way trip to three dollars.
The TTC recorded 31,000 complaints between January and November 2009, 15 per cent more than the same time period the year before.
Last month, the TTC announced it was hiring private consultants to help improve customer service.
On Tuesday, the transit commission launched a test version of an online trip planner, and riders complained it did not work properly.
read full article
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- 06/02/2010 11:29 - New TTC coffee break video stokes rider anger
- 06/02/2010 11:28 - TTC Scolds Employees In Memo
- 05/02/2010 07:32 - Toilet trips a challenge for TTC drivers
- 05/02/2010 07:32 - TTC pledges to get back on the rails
- 04/02/2010 10:52 - We need this undeclared war on TTC workers to end
- 04/02/2010 09:23 - TTC apologizes over driver break video
- 03/02/2010 20:36 - TTC Admits It Hasn't Lived Up To Expectations
- 03/02/2010 11:02 - Smitherman pledges TTC overhaul
- 03/02/2010 11:02 - TTC Launches Beta Version Of Trip Planner
