Greyhound Bus Driver Caught On Video Texting While Driving
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A Greyhound bus driver has been put on leave after a passenger near the front of the bus filmed him texting while driving.
A woman riding from Pittsburgh to Columbus, Ohio says she shot the video while the driver appears to be on a highway. The woman says the bus was full of passengers and at some points the driver had the phone out on his lap.
The video shows him texting as his arms are resting on the steering wheel, then putting the phone back in his pocket.
She contacted her boyfriend, Chris Vario, who was stunned by the video. He said his girlfriend was uncomfortable and felt unsafe.
"He was text messaging repeatedly from Pennsylvania through West Virginia and Ohio the entire time. He had the phone resting on his lap," said Chris Vario, whose girlfriend was on the bus.
VIDEO: See video of the diver texting:
Vario said he called Greyhound offices in Pittsburgh and Columbus to complain, but got little response from supervisors.
"He said that they don't have any way of doing that. I said, 'You could call the phone he's text messaging on, there's ways to get a hold of him.' He said, 'Well we don't want to upset him, he might become more distracted,'" said Vario.
However, Greyhound released a statement Monday saying that action has been taken:
"This incident is a concern and we appreciate it being brought to our attention. The safety of our customers is the cornerstone of our business. We have a zero tolerance police of drivers using their mobile devices at all while driving and we are currently investigating the situation. The driver has been put on leave until the investigation is complete."
Vario said he went as far as saying he called the state police in Ohio to keep a lookout for the bus at various mile markers and see if it was swerving.
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