The mother of a West Island teen is outraged at the STM after the boy saw a bus driver texting while driving.
Debra Masterson said she wants the public transit company to punish the driver, while the STM says they don't necessarily punish employees, even when they break the law.
16-year-old Ethan said he was shocked to see the driver of the 68 bus on Gouin Blvd. in Pierrefonds texting with a bus full of passengers during morning rush hour last Friday morning.
“He was freaked out,” said mom Debra Masterson.
The 16-year-old shot video of the incident, a scene that outraged his mother, knowing it could have had fatal consequences.
“I was mortified because it's too big a deal to just let lie and say, ‘Okay maybe we got lucky, you’re home’ and we could have easily brushed it aside, but it’s much too important,” she said.
Masterson contacted the STM about the incident twice, but said she has yet to get a response.
“They haven’t said one word to me,” she said.
When contacted by CTV, the STM would not comment on this specific case, but said in a statement:
“Disciplinary measures can be taken depending on the file of the employee and on the circumstances of the incident. Disciplinary measures range from a warning letter to a suspension.”
The law in Quebec is clear: with the exception of emergency vehicles, drivers cannot hold a phone while behind the wheel and if caught, could face a $100 fine and four demerit points.
Montreal police say, however, they must physically see the incident and don't issue tickets based on videos.
Last year a passenger also shot a video of another bus driver texting and driving on the South Shore.
That bus driver was reprimanded by Longueuil’s public transit system, the RTL.
