A bus driver has been sacked after he abandoned his bus full of passengers at the side of the road to grab a coffee from a café. Ian Brown decided to leave his bus unsecured with the engine still running and passengers on board while he hopped off to use the toilet and get a hot drink.
Mr Brown, who was already under caution for poor attendance throughout his five years of employment, made the bus late as a result of the incident on March 13, 2020, an employment tribunal heard. Amazingly, CCTV footage also showed Mr Brown running a red light as he was distracted reading a letter summoning him to a disciplinary hearing, reports MyLondon.
When called by a controller asking why the London bus was late, Mr Brown was allegedly heard saying: "It is against my contract. I'm not driving this bus for the rest of the day." The controller said that a refusal to continue to drive would be a "self suspension", to which Mr Brown replied: "I'm not suspending myself, you are bullying me and I'm not fit to drive. You can collect the bus from Seven Sisters," — and he left the bus.
