Bus driver terminated after using personal SUV

[Brannigans Law]

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/03/03...et-them-freeze

Do the right thing, and lose your job.

It’s a heck of a life lesson for students at a Calgary junior high, and one that has parents writing livid letters to a local school bus company, demanding a veteran driver be reinstated.

“It is going to be a very sad moment for me when I have to tell my children that Kendra will on longer be driving them to school,” wrote Jennifer Hughes, one of 13 parents to pen letters of outrage to First Student Canada.

Alison Stutz was another: “I think it is ludicrous she was fired for a safety violation when she was in fact trying to keep the kids safe in such extreme weather.”

Rewind to February 12, 2014, when Calgary was in the midst of another bitter cold snap, with windchill temperatures dipping as low as -37C, according to Environment Canada records.

With frostbite her first concern, Kendra Lindon, a 10-year veteran driver for First Student, broke a rule that ultimately cost her a job.

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What a despicable thing for the bus company to do. And I hope the busy body who got this lady fired feels great now too. What a scumbag.

[speede5]

Ouch, could have just given her a written warning or something.

And why the heck are we outsourcing school buses to US companies? Geez.

[Locke]

Cut the bus company a little slack. They most likely had to terminate her as a stipulation of maintaining their insurance.

She took a risk, for the right reasons, but it could have serious liability issues, issues that their insurance company probably want to keep to an absolute minimum.

[mariners_fever]

Originally Posted by speede5

And why the heck are we outsourcing school buses to US companies? Geez.

It's a British company that entered the Canadian market by purchasing Cardinal Coach Lines, who used to do school bussing as well.

[East Coast Flame]

She had kids in the trunk with no seatbealts? That doesn't seem like a great idea...

[mustache ride]

You don't see the problem with kids getting picked up in a private vehicle?

[Byrns]

Why weren't the parents waiting with their kids for the bus when it's -37C?

[Brannigans Law]

Originally Posted by mustache ride

You don't see the problem with kids getting picked up in a private vehicle?

vs leaving them in -37 and being put at risk of frost bite and other exposure issues? Nope.

[mustache ride]

Originally Posted by Brannigans Law

vs leaving them in -37 and being put at risk of frost bite and other exposure issues? Nope.

Or the next time some kids vanish and are never seen again.

[Daradon]

Yeah, it's definitely an insurance pickle. But not sure she needed to lose her job over it.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Brannigans Law

vs leaving them in -37 and being put at risk of frost bite and other exposure issues? Nope.

This.....

Originally Posted by Byrns

Why weren't the parents waiting with their kids for the bus when it's -37C?

When we lived in Calgary my daughter bused to school. When ever it was that cold we stayed with the kids, or arranged for a nieghbour to say.

Not a defence for what the bus company did, but there is a lot of dumb in this story.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by Byrns

Why weren't the parents waiting with their kids for the bus when it's -37C?

Depending on the age of the children, parents may have already left for work and the kids get themselves out the door to school.

My friend who lives in the NW was upset this morning, that their bus didn't show up. There was no phone call, nothing to indicate whether it would ever show up. Fortunately, she was able to keep her kids inside while they waited to see if the bus ever showed up (it didn't, she ended up driving them) but she says it's been horribly inconsistent this winter.

[Wormius]

Isn't there an app or website to check on the school buses? Are those real-time?

[OzSome]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Yeah, it's definitely an insurance pickle. But not sure she needed to lose her job over it.

I totally agree. She was just looking after the kids so I say a warning or even a day suspension will suffice. I wonder what would happen if she leaves those kids on the waiting place, would she get fired too because the kids had frost bite? Stupid decision by the bus company.

[speede5]

I don't think what she did was entirely right, but it wasn't that bad an option. Like I said, write her a stern warning letter and leave it at that. Policy review could prevent a future similar occurance.

[WhiteTiger]

She only picks up 5 students? WTF is she doing driving a "bus" in the first place when a minivan or a modified panelvan will do the trick.

[Brannigans Law]

Originally Posted by mustache ride

Or the next time some kids vanish and are never seen again.

Slippery slope and a false dilemma. Double play!

[Wormius]

I know the article states that on the first instance she knew that a back-up bus didn't get the kids, but did she verify the second time that the other bus was going to be delayed/not coming or just assume that another bus wasn't going to come before she started getting the kids? I don't think she should have been fired, but if another bus was on its way within a reasonable time frame then maybe she didn't need to step in.

Still in that scenario, how is she acting on behalf of First Canada when picking up the kids in her own vehicle? Isn't she a private citizen just picking her kids friends at that point?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I know the article states that on the first instance she knew that a back-up bus didn't get the kids, but did she verify the second time that the other bus was going to be delayed/not coming or just assume that another bus wasn't going to come before she started getting the kids? I don't think she should have been fired, but if another bus was on its way within a reasonable time frame then maybe she didn't need to step in.

Still in that scenario, how is she acting on behalf of First Canada when picking up the kids in her own vehicle? Isn't she a private citizen just picking her kids friends at that point?

I wonder if she put in a time card?

[Otto-matic]

Originally Posted by East Coast Flame

She had kids in the trunk with no seatbealts? That doesn't seem like a great idea...

From there, Lindon planned to keep the kids, including her own son, warm until another bus arrived — no frostbite, no problems.
Or so she thought.

It turns out another parent had watched Lindon picking up the kids, including two boys who had to sit in the rear cargo hold, where there were no seat belts.

Lindon didn’t drive in traffic, or attempt to take the kids to school. All she did was use the only tool at her disposal to keep the children warm, in conditions where flesh can freeze in under a minute

It sounds like she just kept the kids in her car to warm up until a bus arrived.