Do you think the bus driver was in the wrong?

I came across this article in my local paper this morning. Though I an understand the bus driver's point of view, he has to concentrate on the road and for some it is hard with a screaming kid in the back of a vehicle. I know school bus drivers are allowed to turn the bus around and take the kid back to the school for the parents to come pick up (depending on their age). The older kids (I've witnessed this a few times in high school taking the bus) are kicked off the bus and have to walk the rest of the way home.

But I also understand the mother's point of view, and feel that even though it's not the bus driver's business, if she would have explained that she just got back from the doctor's office and her children are not feeling well, it would have made the bus driver and the people on the bus a little more understanding.

http://www.windsorstar.com/news/tearful+tossed/6029793/story.html

A 23-year-old stay-at-home mother said she was humiliated when a Transit Windsor driver kicked her off the bus because her son was crying, leaving her with an hour-long walk home.

“It was horrible. Having to walk home, being embarrassed in front of all those people,” she said. “I was trying my hardest to get my son to stop crying.”

Tori Tracey said she was going home from a downtown doctor’s appointment at about 9:30 a.m. Monday with her children Dominic Legace, two, and McKayla Legace, four.

She said both children were sick and no matter what she did, she couldn’t calm Dominic.

Tracey said her efforts weren’t enough for the bus driver, who pulled over near Jefferson Boulevard and Wyandotte Street. “He made a complete scene on the bus, saying I needed to calm down my son or we needed to remove ourselves off the bus and he couldn’t drive like this,” she said.

The bus driver got off the bus himself for a short time, leaving it running, Tracey said. She said when he got back on and Dominic was still crying, he told them to get off.

Tracey said none of the other passengers on the full bus said a word. “No one came up to complain, no one said anything. Because the people could see, I was trying. I picked him up out of the stroller, I tried everything to get him to calm down.”

That left Tracey with a long walk home to Lauzon Road and Riverside Drive in the cold with room for only one child in the stroller. She said she gave her jacket to her daughter and walked most of the way wearing only a sweater.

Tracey said she called Transit Windsor to complain. A day and a half later, a representative called her to apologize and told her there would be an investigation, she said.

Later in the week, a Transit Windsor employee came to her house and personally dropped off 20 bus tickets, she said. Tracey said he apologized, but said he was unable to tell her what actions were taken against the bus driver.

Transit Windsor board member and Ward 10 Coun. Al Maghnieh said Tracey is right to be upset.

“Regardless of the circumstances, I just think the driver probably should have exercised a little bit more discretion with respect to his behaviour. I find it a little bit unacceptable. The mother indicated the child was sick and at that point, there’s really not much you can do except get that person and her child to their bus stop safely and do your job. That’s your job, whether you like it or not.”

Maghnieh confirmed Transit Windsor apologized and dropped off bus tickets for Tracey, but said he was unable to comment on what discipline the driver received.

“I’ll leave that in the hands of management,” he said. “This is a good lesson for all of us at transit to perhaps look at some training options for how to handle these situations.”

Tracey said she’s more concerned with making sure the driver understands his actions were unacceptable than with discipline. “I don’t want people to think I’m trying to get the bus driver in trouble. I don’t want the bus driver fired. I just want him to realize the actions he took weren’t the proper ones,” she said.

cbrownell@windsorstar.com or Twitter.com/clabrow
© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

I have to say he was in the wrong. the child was not acting up he was just crying. people take the bus because they don't have a vehicle, making her walk home in the cold is not right.

The bus driver is an idiot and should be fired!

Because I wasn't on the bus I can't say if the kid was really disruptive. If the kid was wailing I can understand the bus drivers point of view. However, no one said she had to walk home. She could have very easily waited the 15 minutes for the next bus and hopped on. She did choose to walk home but I think depending on the level of crying, the driver was in the wrong. I realize the mother couldn't calm the kid down so I don't put any blame on her but like I've already said, an other bus comes around quickly and she could have taken it instead of walking home.

Personally I think he was wrong. He is getting paid to do a public service and she was utilizing that public service. While I am sure it must have been pretty annoying to have the child constantly wail clearly the mother didn't have another alternative. I've been on the bus in situations like this and it is more bratty kids that irk me rather than a young child who is sick...to me that justifies a bad temperament.

I would have told them to stick the free tickets up their ass but that's just me.

I re-read the article over and the mother did indicate that the child was sick. I'm just shocked after her indicating this to the bus driver and the others on the bus must have heard her say this, that he wasn't very understanding and that the others on the bus did not stick up for her. From where she was dropped off to where she had to go home is only a 10 minute drive. He could have tolerated the crying for another 10 minutes (probably not even if she had to get off the bus to take another one home). He was definitely in the wrong.