Three TTC employees fired for texting while driving public transit vehicles
At this point, it’s not even a surprise: TTC driver caught operating a vehicle dangerously and/or in violation of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act. Again, not terribly surprising: TTC driver caught and filmed by a passenger with a cellphone. And still yet unsurprising: it makes the front page of the Toronto Sun. The only thing that is actually surprising at this point is that TTC operators don’t realize they’re likely under constant sousveillance. The results of being caught on camera breaking the law is—unsurprisingly—dismissal.
From the Sun:
The Sun has learned the three drivers are losing their jobs after being caught on riders’ cameras texting while driving their buses.
A source familiar with the case confirmed that all three are being fired.
The quick dismissals come just days after the Sun published a TTC rider’s photo of an operator texting while driving the 165 Weston Rd. North bus. Two more pictures of drivers with their eyes on phones while they sat behind the wheel surfaced quickly Friday and the TTC vowed to investigate.
Boy, when the TTC said they were taking this seriously, they weren’t kidding. When the news of these textings broke on Friday, we weren’t sure whether or not to join in on the two-minutes hate with the rest of Toronto’s news. It looks like some of the other actors in this little drama have some regrets: Mike Schmitz, the commuter who took one of the incriminating photos, is quoted by the Toronto Star as saying “That’s not what I wanted at all. Not at all… I feel pretty bad now.”
For what it’s worth, Schmitz probably shouldn’t get too upset. In the grand scheme of things, he actually did the right thing (seriously, texting while driving a bus at 50 km/h is really dangerous). Given the new management at the TTC and most importantly Rob Ford, it was unlikely that something like this was going to end any other way.
• TTC drivers facing the axe [Toronto Sun]
• Texting TTC drivers fired [Toronto Star]
Excellent. That’s the power of the Toronto public not taking any more crap from the TTC. Photographing and documenting the wrongdoings of these incompetent people who work for the TTC is the best way to create change because the TTC would rather just hide everything under the rug.
At least 3 people were killed by the TTC in January and just today a young girl was struck by another TTC bus. Intolerable.
Good. I like seeing people in the TTC being called out for their stupidity for taking their jobs so lightly. They are a publicly funded operation and they should expect that their riders are always watching and should feel accountable to them.
I wonder if the incidents of pedestrians getting hit by TTC buses recently, had anything to do with texting while driving. It is scary when you put your safety and trust in the hands of a bus driver and they go ahead and pull this kind of crap. Don’t even care if those drivers might have been stopped when texting…the bus, the riders and the traffic deserve 100% of your attention if you are a TTC driver on duty.
It’s all good…keep canning the people who make the TTC look bad. No more sleeping on the job and definitely no texting while operating a vehicle!!
@Ben; You say “3 people were killed by the TTC in January” Why? One impaired man jaywalked into the side of a moving streetcar and fell under the center wheels. Another man in dark clothing, in a dark environment, slipped and fell under the front of a bus. In a split second he was gone from sight. Another man was jaywalking at night when struck bythe bus. @Dale: You say “I wonder if the incidents of pedestrians getting hit by TTC buses recently, had anything to do with texting while driving.” A gratuitous comment. None of the recent accidents involved driver use of cell phones. In many vehicle=pedestrian accidents, the person was not paying attention to their surroundings or jaywalking. To date, no charges have been filed by police in any of the recent accidents.
Sam,
You don’t know that the driver’s attention wasn’t diverted elsewhere or that he wasn’t distracted by his/her phone. So it’s fair to say that something impaired their attention.
Safe to say though…a driver with his full undivided attention is better than one who is distracted by his text messages.
I think we live in a culture where business people need to ‘hit the ball over the net’. Teens consider it rude not to reply immediately to texts. Home schedules would grind to a halt without immediate communication. We are conditioned to pursue this level of efficiency but we are all supposed cease this behavior once we sit in our respective 5,000 pound pieces of steel and glass. Anyone can win an argument in a forum like this by saying “Just put the phone away” – but we can see its just not happening.
I just read that 72% of teens text daily – many text more 4000 times a month. New college students no longer have email addresses! They use texting and Facebook – even with their professors. This text and drive issue is in its infancy and I think we need to do more than legislate.
I decided to do something about distracted driving after my three year old daughter was nearly run down right in front of me by a texting driver. Instead of a shackle that locks down phones and alienates the user (especially teens) I built a tool called OTTER that is a simple GPS based texting auto reply app for smartphones. It also silences call ringtones while driving unless you have a bluetooth enabled. I think if we can empower the individual then change will come to our highways now and not just our laws.
Erik Wood, owner
OTTER LLC
OTTER app
Some of you guys are okay. I can tell that. All your lives are as happy and fortunate as you could desire. I am affirming that because, aside all those people that do not have a job – I am not talking about a CAD$ 10.25/hour, but one that you can really count on and make a real living; all those people that are homeless in the City of Toronto; the cost of living going up to our necks, some times, almost above our heads; politicians and their vain promises, who do not leave their “calculators” at home when it comes to add a digit or two to the already high taxes that we pay for with so much work that we have done through the year, and many other things that WE know but YOU “CAN KEEP UP WITH”- not only in this city, but in this country – well, I have to say that you are the most fortunate people, not only in Canada, but in the WORLD – you have plenty of time to be concerned about the TTC, even though WE have so many other things to do in our OWN lives. Of course, some people are out there, you know, looking for someone that could give them their 15 minutes, 15 seconds or even just have their names stamped on a newspaper page (Mike for sure made a good money from that, and I would like to make my pot bigger as well – don’t you? – so, I am waiting for his tips and hints about how to be successful on it) – just notice that, when I say newspaper I am NOT including The TORONTO SUN in this category. I am sorry folks, but newspapers are newspapers, and to be a toilet paper, well, it is a huge distance to be travelled to the deepest of the deep levels, I would say. Unfortunately, the Toronto Star is almost half way there…
Well, my children, first of all, I would like to begin with a very simple question for you – please, sit back, relax and pay attention to the following:
Does a picture have movement? Really, does it moves or even shows any kind of movement? Well, if your answer is yes, you live in a planet that is not called Earth. This question you probably have asked to your children, and smart as they are, they answered NO – and some of them laughed at you, I bet. Do you know why they said that? Because they did not miss a important thing: WE HAVE TO QUESTION ALL THAT IS SHOWN TO US, does not matter who brought something, we have to question it. Not only that person, but ourselves: “Is it really true?” “Are the politicians really doing this or that?” “Am I doing what is right to be done?”(I bet that most of you are texting to somebody while driving, drinking your coffee, using a lipstick and some make-up, you know, to “look sexy for the driver next to you, may be he will wink his eye and ask for your phone number… What a lucky day, hey!” or you are too occupied changing a CD or a song on your “iWhatever” so you cannot pay the necessary attention to the car in front of you (just for the record, more than 46,000 tickets were issued in Ontario because of these things mentioned above).
Aren’t you risking other lives as well? It is a good question, but hard is the answer.
I will be very clear about one thing: I am not for or against the driver or even the TTC. There are many things to be done to improve the whole system (we really deserve and need something better) and to improve ourselves as citizens, as well. If the driver really did what the media affirms, well, he deserves to be punished according to the TTC’s policy, and that is the end of the story. But, on the other hand, we know that there is a lot going on about cutting on expenses, contracts, etc, not only involving the TTC, but the whole City of Toronto, as well. As part of this “process” a word – or a talent, I would say – is been used very well and often: MISDIRECTION. It also has its partners “on the dance floor”, and you could name them MISLEADING and LACK OF INFORMATION – the most interest one! I really love it! Don’t you share the very same feeling as I do?
Of course you DO, because YOU ARE LIVING IT! Otherwise…
Well, to finalize it, just a phrase: What is truth is truth; what is a lie, is a lie. But, what is in between, MUST BE QUESTIONED.
SMARTEN UP, folks.
Cheers.
I think this Mike Schmitz character should be sued by the drivers who lost their jobs. Who does he think he is, a narc, a undercover, a national spy? Get a life Mike and leave other lives alone!
Milton…what a joke.
Was there a point in that diarrhea of letters and characters or were you just trying to waste people’s time? Coherence and being concise…concepts in the English language that were certainly lost on you.
Fact is that there is no doubt, from that picture that the driver(s) had their cell phones out in front of them while on a TTC vehicle that was in service. The fact that the phone is out is grounds for firing already. You are a bus driver. You have no business using a cell phone, let alone have it out at that time. Texting, talking, checking voice messages…save that for your breaks.
They deserved what they got.
A doctor who shows up drunk to work is looked upon the same way. He risks getting fired and losing his license if that happens. He would get the exact same response from me.
The TTC is publically funded. Why shouldn’t the riders have a right to complain when staff misbehaves? They are accountable to us. We pay taxes and fares so that they have jobs.
This is where compassion goes out the window. The drivers messed up. There were no accidents caused with these particular incidences, but would your position change if they were caught texting and then a pedestrian were hit or the bus crashed into another car? Doesn’t matter that an accident didn’t happen, but it could have. It’s irresponsible, and these drivers knew that but still went ahead and did it anyways. We don’t need people like this operating vehicles.
I think it is absolutely ridicules to have these 3 people fired, they have a family to support, they have bills to pay, and they had a pension coming to then. I think a warning would have been sufficient or even a short suspension. To go to that extreme is very harsh….do you know how many people text? If we fire everyone….there would be no one left to work. I truly believe they should have their job back and just reinforce alertness
your dumb
your right!