A London bus driver has lost his job after abandoning a full-load of passengers to get a coffee in a café during a shift.
Ian Brown was already under caution for his poor attendance during his five years of service before he left a bus full of passengers with the engine running as he went to the toilet and grabbed a hot drink in March 2020.
Mr Brown was driving the 243 route from Waterloo to Wood Green when the incident happened, leading to the bus service to be behind schedule.
An employment tribunal also heard that CCTV showed the driver running a red light as he read a letter inviting him to a disciplinary hearing.
When called by the controller asking why the bus was late, Mr Brown allegedly said: "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 subsequently left the bus.
Mr Brown claimed to his boss that he was being bullied and he should be paid while suspended.
He said: "Controllers' constant bullying and harassment while on duty goes unnoticed. Are you saying I have no rights to a toilet break or to be paid while off sick…. This is not a self suspension but stress under duress."
A misconduct hearing reviewed the CCTV footage and attendance records and he was formally sacked on August 11, 2020 before an appeal by Mr Brown also failed.
An employment tribunal held on February 22, 2023 and published on March 8 concluded that Mr Brown's claim of unfair dismissal failed.
Employment Judge Tuck KC wrote: "On 13 March 2020 the claimant was driving a double decker bus on route 243.
"He arrived late to take over the bus – at around 2.17pm then left it unsecured at a bus stand, with the engine running and passengers on board, while he went to the café to use the toilet and collect a hot drink, not leaving the stand until 2.21pm.
"CCTV from a camera in the bus cab from 2.22pm shows the claimant taking pages which had been in the envelope. He was braking as he approached a traffic light, shows the light turning from amber to red at least three seconds before the claimant reached the stop line, and the claimant proceeding across the junction.
"It is not in dispute that the letter which was in the claimant's hand and shown during this CCTV footage was the letter dated 12 March inviting him to a disciplinary hearing.
"I am satisfied that dismissal was within the range of reasonable responses. Furthermore, I would have found that the claimant contributed to his dismissal by 100 per cent."
