Bus driver won't lose job for writing while driving

Gatineau - A bus driver who was seen on a YouTube video filling out paperwork while driving a bus down a street in Quebec will not be fired.

The Gatineau bus driver was filmed as he wrote on forms he had placed on a satchel on his lap, and appeared to use his knees to assist with steering at one point. After the footage was uploaded to YouTube a media organization informed the Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO). After meeting with the driver, the STO said he had a good driving history and would not be fired. Felix Gendron, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union in Gatineau, said the driver's privacy was violated. "I think that the person who makes the video, if they don't like the way the driver's doing that they should go tell the driver. Not go put that on TV," the CBC quoted him as saying. He added that the union has asked the STO to ban passengers from filming drivers. CTV reported that transit officials said the driver has been disciplined, but would not provide and details on what that disciplinary measure was. The Ottawa Citizen reported that, although it is illegal to use mobile phones while driving, the STO said it had received 15-20 complaints about drivers talking on their phones since 2009. Earlier this year a Digital Journal story reported on a Detroit bus driver who was suspended for driving while a woman was sitting on his lap.