Whats wrong with Kelowna transit?

[sophiexfox]

Sophie. Can I come to work and tape you doing your job?? How would you feel with me sitting there taping you on my phone? Would you start to worry about what I was doing and possibly good up??

It's always easy to stand on the outside and comment.

Silly retort, because I really couldn't care less n.n

As a call center employee 'your call is being reordered for quality and training purposes'

I just do my job well - all the time - thus no worries about being caught doing something wrong!
Kelowna Bus drivers should preform the same way ;3

[crookedmember]

Just wonder, would you feel the same if someone was on his or her phone or texting as a passenger??

My thoughts would be if they were sitting, not swinging, harassing other patrons they are just riding and should not be a concern. What would the dangers be if they are video monitoring you or anything on your bus?? It is a public place and no laws prohibiting it.

No laws prohibit it, but it is covered by the golden rule.

If some stranger recorded me, it would creep me out. That's why I don't aim my phone at others.

For the same reason, I'm not disrespectful to police officers, lest one gets *bleep*, chases after me and punches me in the face.

There's no law against being a disrespectful, but sometimes these little jerks get what they deserve.

Disrespectful kids need to be taught some manners by someone. Obviously in some cases the parents fail miserably.

[SirEd69]

jim the supervisor was ticketed by the rcmp for phone use while driving which is a violation of company policy and a violation of the law. but he is management and still has his job. so I guess it's ok for management to break the law and company policy

If what you say is true,How do you know nothing was done about the supervisor ?, Besides, I dont believe its about him, last time I herd they drive cars, Huge difference than a 40 ft bus. And if its true then thats for the legal system to deal with.
As a driver, I drive the best I can, I could care less if i am being recorded, havent you noticed there are cameras in buses all over north america, Get over it ! , its not a safety issue its some few who simply trying to harrass a whistle blower. If the public oppinion is that This Nathan did wrong and my colleges are justified, well next time you complain about a driver, you may know the outcome if they find out who complained.

But also with rumor, .this isnt the first time this guy was caught for the same thing... so we should really go with the facts. Before things really get bad, I am sure the public doesnt want to hear more about this guy.

[Dizzy1]

Deleted by Trip. off topic.

[process99]

Young Nathan should train up get his medical and become a bus driver for a year and see how he would respond in kind to actions such as his. I suspect he would be singing a very different tune after just ONE shift.
Bus drivers require much training and regular medicals and must carrry a clean public appearance, there are many people who just cannot handle this type of job , nevermind all the extras required to meet the actual driver / driving requirements of a large bus.
Its a love it or leave it completly alone type job,, I have been told cross country driving is not like this, only the big city OTATT type driving. Its high stress, high traffic, high nonsense tolerence required position. Unlike a cab who can simply look at you and say sorry call another company or car for your ride , these drivers are not given that option to protect themselves from this new generation of YOU OWE ME teens.
YOU owe me my ride on time all the time anytime I want it. Don't think so,,. Well I will just jam a camera in your face and confront you untill you lose your temper followed by your job after I attempt to crucify you any way I can cause I got the video ohh ahh he he.. NOT.
Don't be surprized if you find then next new rule right next to no food or drink on the bus that says NO ELECTRONIC devices allowed to be used at anytime while on board the bus..
You keep kicking the tires and creating situations like the one Nathan did and they will respond, and I am quite sure it will not be in kind either.
You may find all buses equipped with a cam staring right at you to make sure YOU adhere to EVERY single rule they have posted in order to ride the bus..
get caught with food 6 month ban, get caught with a recorder or electronic devices same deal.
I fully expect the union to whip up a brandnew set of rules to PROTECT their drivers who have been handicapped by policy that says I can say or do almost anything to you as long as I don't endager the passengers or the bus. They must accept this with a smile and say have a nice day even to a Nathan as it is now. Bet that changes real quick.
They may just implement a policy that says driver discretion, don't like how you look or smell or act, no ride period end of conlflict. Its not hard to make it hard for the average riders by allowing behaviours similar to what we see here and or the bus in Edmonton with the fool hangin on for dear life to the front of the bus refusing to move after jaywalking in front of it in the first place.
How many times will the driver have to ask you politely and smile before he/or she completly loses their temper and throws you UNDER the bus and drives off. Rest assured all this squeaky wheel on the bus will get the rules rewritten and some quite likely will not like it AT ALL. But the drivers will. They will actaully be able to do thier job with only the stress of a 52ft bus in city traffic and not 500 little punks with smartphones who think their all that and then some and the occational mentaly distrubed patron who seems to want to ride on the bike rack for whatever his reasons were.
It sure looked good on he was tossed on the frozen ground in snow by his peers as that bus drove away. Probably almost as good as the priceless look on Nathan's face everytime he gets refused...
Think about it Nathan, push hard enough and you will get action, it just may not be the action YOU wanted.
How it working out for you so far? Are you cold yet? tired of being refused, then think about WHY this happened.
I mean its all about public safety right, imagine if the bus and drivers decided to use the same level of security as an airport, how much bad behaviour do you think would happen then, BUT A WHAT COST and lost freedoms.
You act up like that on a plane and not only would you be deplaned at the nearest airport you may find yourself in an 8x8 for a time to remember how to behave. This policy would protect all passengers and drivers and equipment from the issues currently faced nowdays. AGAIN at what cost who loses , why can't people just learn to get along and comply with simple rules so the complex ones are not forced on everyone due to a few individuals with apparently the entitlement complex. This is parental failure extrodanare. Only those who are mentally SICK would qualify for a excuse with regards to certain behaviours.
Being little fool with a chip on your shoulder is not one of them.

P99

[dcipher]

You really think a person should loose their job, their livelihood for taking on the phone? Hands fee no less? I know its against company policy but dont you feel being fired is a bit excessive? How about a warning or a repremand...not a total loss?

The exact nature of the disciplinary action is certainly subjective, and up for debate. The degree of punishment is not the central issue, but to answer your question: yes, absolutely.

Assuming no acceptable excuse is offered, then the violation is clear, and serious. It is a direct safety violation (not took an extra 5 min. break) unnecessarily endangering not only every life on the bus, but all other drivers and pedestrians in the area. It is completely voluntary, and completely controllable. Moreover, the video itself testifies to the non-emergency nature of the call. In many other jobs, termination would result from much less, than voluntarily endangering lives (the preservation of which is arguably his most central duty, and for what he is being paid).

Not long ago, several castanet regulars opined that a person should be terminated for bad-mouthing a boss online. (I personally would not agree with termination in that case) In my opinion, that is dwarfed in magnitude by this.

Of course, your judgment of the appropriate degree of punishment may differ.

PS. Note, I have already addressed the hands-free isssue. Again, I feel it is absolutely correct to allow NO cellphone usage.

[dcipher]

also, many drivers have befriended nathan over the years by loaning him money, giving him rides when he has no pass and/or no money.

Irrelevant. I do not care if the drivers personally like or hate Nathan. I do not care if they have a relationship with him or not. I do appreciate that you now admitting that petty personal squabble are a factor in how you are dealing with Nathan.

if nathan uses the bus to go to work as he claims, I would like to know when he works. he boards the bus first thing in the morning and ususally takes the last bus home. also hanging around queensway most of the night. he's always talking about this potential job or that maybe job.
e

Irrelevant. If the unprofessional and juvenile reasoning you are displaying is reflective of the other bus drivers, I can certainly see why there are problems.

jim the supervisor was ticketed by the rcmp for phone use while driving which is a violation of company policy and a violation of the law. but he is management and still has his job. so I guess it's ok for management to break the law and company policy

So Jim is the individual who you claim hired Nathan to follow the driver around. Again, you should come forward with your allegations, if they are true. What could is whining about it here? Email or phone Kelly Hayes and tell your story. I am certain he'll be interested in following up on the story.

Of course, I think it more plausible that this is yet another red herring lie, since you've already presented the following "excuses' as:
Nathan has no job
Nathan hangs around downtown
Nathan has been befriended by some drivers
Nathan is a plant by administrator Jim
Nathan follows this driver around all day
Nathan wants to sue Transit

....and of course, the infamous: safety issue, which I believe has been thoroughly debunked by numerous posters in this thread. Though I am glad to see you reiterating it repeatedly, verifying that indeed, the bus drivers believe this to be legitimate reasoning. Frankly, if not for the Castanet quotes, and your verification, I would not have thought grown-men likely to use such a transparently inane defense.
Nathan is

[rioghnacha]

Hang in there Nathan, you were right to bring this to peoples attention.

[smarty-pants]

I think the issue is he trying to provoke the driver them catch him on video? Would you be safe them? Drivers are responsible for not only the lives on the bus but the lives on the road.

[breeolson]

I haven't read all the comments but I think the driver should be fined but to lose his job no , treat every person equal . I think if everyone that uses their phone while driving loses their licence or loses their job I think that would be stupid . FIne him the first time , second his licence gets suspended for 24 hours and then if their is a third time fire him

[Jo]

DO NOT post names. Your post will be deleted if you do.

[Ken7]

crookedmember

No laws prohibit it, but it is covered by the golden rule.If some stranger recorded me, it would creep me out. That's why I don't aim my phone at others.

For the same reason, I'm not disrespectful to police officers, lest one gets *bleep*, chases after me and punches me in the face.
There's no law against being a disrespectful, but sometimes these little jerks get what they deserve.

What golden rule?? Wake up, in today's society almost every cell phone in use has that function. Suck it up!

Being disrespectful, now that I grew up with as a golden rule.

Anyone older then I, my parents, my teachers, the neighbour, the Police, you did not disrespect. If people today had that Golden rule we would be much farther ahead!!

This post comes down to a driver failing to follow the rules of the road, not my golden rules. He fails to do so and he is upset because he was caught on tape. If he was not on the phone, would he be pi$$ed about this kid taping him??

I ask, the driver can respond to as well. Would you be doing the phone if you were being tested for your drivers licence?

When I was a kid, I was further taught ignore the bug and it will go away!


PS- why can we not be accountable of our actions...this driver seems not to be!

[Vernon1]

This all comes down to being responsible for your actions. The professional driver broke the law and endangered the passengers by talking on the cell phone. It doesn't matter who blows the whistle as long as the public is protected. How many chances should a driver get if he is caught endangering the public ? The young man should be congratulated for community service. He may have saved lives by taking that video.

[Mtn Biker]

This all comes down to being responsible for your actions. The professional driver broke the law and endangered the passengers by talking on the cell phone. It doesn't matter who blows the whistle as long as the public is protected. How many chances should a driver get if he is caught endangering the public ? The young man should be congratulated for community service. He may have saved lives by taking that video.

Exactly. Here's the response from the responsible leader of the bus drivers in Kelowna:

The local transit union disagrees with claims that Peters is being bullied by the drivers, and instead call the situation a safety issue.

"I believe what the drivers are doing is they're worried - that while they're worried about him on the bus videotaping them, they're watching backwards when they should be watching forwards," says Les Milton, President of Amalgamated Transit Union local 1722.

"What they're doing is basically standing up for the rights of the other people on the bus to have a safe ride. There's enough distractions in the City of Kelowna and our work place is certainly hazardous and our schedules are pushed to the outer limit. Drivers are just deciding they're not going to take this man because the stress is not good on them."

I am sorry, but this reads like a crock of buck passing excuses if I ever read one. His driver broke the law, was caught, should that not be the issue? But the person bringing it to public attention is the one ousted by Kelowna Transit. Shame on them.

[StraitTalk]

Why did a bus driver break a distracted driving law, have his contract terminated, only to have that decision repealed?

Who the hell thought that was a good idea? I'd like to see charges. Reckless endangerment (literally, not legally) of your passengers is unacceptable.