Bus driver terminated after using personal SUV

[Wormius]

I think I read the article in the Herald differently then. It sounded like she drove around, albeit slowly, along her route to pick up the kids.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I think I read the article in the Herald differently then. It sounded like she drove around, albeit slowly, along her route to pick up the kids.

The sun article said it was a few short blocks to pick up the kids, and then it stated she wasn't in traffic and didn't drive.

Either the Herald version was correct, or the Sun is missing the clearly more important story in which this woman has a teleportation device in her vehicle.

Originally Posted by sun

Lindon put safety first. It was a matter of blocks to round up the five junior high students she’d normally take to F.E. Osborne school, using her own personal SUV.
...
Yes, to drive students in a private vehicle is a bad idea
...
Lindon didn’t drive in traffic

Originally Posted by Herald

On Hawkwood Drive there were two more teen boys. Both got in her vehicle, though one did not have a seatbelt.
Lindon decided to proceed to her next usual stop — a total of 0.4 km from the previous stop.

While yes, it's not a short distance, and yes from a good samaritan point of view she did the right thing, but I don't think the bus company is really out of line here.

Winter driving conditions, she gets in an accident with a kid in the cargo area and this is a very, very different story.

[nfotiu]

Where are these kids waiting? Just outside their houses? Why didn't she just drive around and tell them to go wait inside their house?

I'd say it is kind of iffy judgement to throw them all in your car and drive around a few blocks. If I saw an suv pick up my kid, I'd be wondering what the hell was going on. Firing does seem harsh though.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

The sun article said it was a few short blocks to pick up the kids, and then it stated she wasn't in traffic and didn't drive.

Either the Herald version was correct, or the Sun is missing the clearly more important story in which this woman has a teleportation device in her vehicle.


So which is it?

The Herald article states that she had a bus driver go along the route and retrieve the kids, but then later says she drove about .4km to pick up some kids.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...683/story.html

As a result, Lindon drove her 2005 Cadillac Escalade to where another bus driver starts his route and asked him to pick up her stops three, four and five, and she would go to her stops one and two to pick up her son, whom she couldn’t reach on his cellphone.
On Monday, Lindon and I drove the route she took.
“There was only one child at this stop,” she says, rattling off the boy’s name as well as the names of the parents of this child. He was shivering in the cold and she invited him into her car. He gratefully jumped in, put on his seatbelt and she headed up the road to Hawkley Crescent, where she picked up two more teens, both of whom she names. They, too, strapped in.
On Hawkwood Drive there were two more teen boys. Both got in her vehicle, though one did not have a seatbelt.
Lindon decided to proceed to her next usual stop — a total of 0.4 km from the previous stop.
Virtually no cars drive by the whole time we are on the road. The roads are still so rutted with ice that it’s impossible — even today and in her SUV — to travel at more than 25 km/hr.
A boy she has long known is standing there. He’s on crutches with no hat, no gloves and just runners on.
“I just couldn’t leave him out there. It wouldn’t be right, so I just made a decision,” she says.
To make room for the injured boy, two of the other boys jumped into the back of her SUV, where there are no seatbelts.
She drove slowly another 0.3 kms to where she would ordinarily pick up her son, Cameron. She parked and a bunch of other kids piled in to warm up to await the school rescue bus’s arrival — which was 15 minutes from the vantage point inside a crowded and warm SUV, but could have felt like an eternity in what Environment Canada confirms was -26 C wind chill.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Wormius

The Herald article states that she had a bus driver go along the route and retrieve the kids, but then later says she drove about .4km to pick up some kids.

The herald article (in your quote) states she had another bus driver stop at 3 stops on her route, and she did the other 2.

[Nufy]

A little off topic, But since when do bus drivers make enough to drive Cadillacs ??

Picture caption said she picked them up in her Escalade.

Maybe this engineering thing is not where you make the best money in calgary.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

The herald article (in your quote) states she had another bus driver stop at 3 stops on her route, and she did the other 2.

I am losing track. Here's my tally so far...

1) picked up the shivering boy then headed up the road
2) picked up 2 other kids and drove .4km
3) picked up disabled boy and drove .3km
4) picked up her own son.

[squiggs96]

“They would have been out in that cold for 20 minutes, so that’s the decision I made,” said Lindon.

I've been outside in that temperature for longer and I managed to survive. I was at the Heritage Classic for 3 hours and, although I was cold, managed to escape any harm. I'm sure people in Calgary know how to dress for the weather. 20 minutes wouldn't kill you.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by mariners_fever

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

Knowing the former owner of Cardinal, I can't see this happening when he owned it.

It's just another rule that does not allow the flexibility for common sense. No way this woman should have been fired. I hope the new company reviews their decision and gives her back her job.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Nufy

A little off topic, But since when do bus drivers make enough to drive Cadillacs ??

Maybe this engineering thing is not where you make the best money in calgary.

An 05 Escalade is worth what, around 12k now? Not exactly Bentley money.

And yes, engineers make .

[Regular_John]

Yes yes, rules are rules and she broke one. But come on.



I think it's been proven many times over that "zero tolerance" policies are a crock. This is clearly one of those times.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

I've been outside in that temperature for longer and I managed to survive. I was at the Heritage Classic for 3 hours and, although I was cold, managed to escape any harm. I'm sure people in Calgary know how to dress for the weather. 20 minutes wouldn't kill you.

Teenagers aren't exactly known for making sure they dress warm in cold weather.

[jayocal]

Originally Posted by mariners_fever

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

First Group currently owns Greyhound as well.

[OutOfTheCube]

Bah, I caught the bus along on Hawkwood Drive for school for 5 years and many days it was balls ass cold. Kids need to cowboy up.

Also, it makes sense she got fired. Gigantic liability issues. If she got into an accident it'd be a whole different story.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Teenagers aren't exactly known for making sure they dress warm in cold weather.

Does anyone know the age of these kids? I don't get the feeling they were teens, I think they are elementary age.

[para transit fellow]

I haven't heard if her dispatch knew she was going to do this before she went ahead with her plan.

So.. let's substitute certain facts and see if the story still has the "alls well that ends well" theme:

Older single fellow's bus doesn't start... without telling supervisor, he starts driving his route in his own SUV - inviting kids he's never met to get into the car.. after all, it's only a short distance to the school...

Would we all be as supportive?

My observation(s): As I mentioned, it isn't clear if he had dispatch's permission to go get the kids and drive to school. Nobody knew who was picking up kids. his vehicle doesn't have a commercial vehicle inspection (might be fine or might have poor brakes). His insurance probably doesn't have the 15 million dollar liability cover required by the school board contract.

So if something horrible were to hypothetically happen - say three cars collide near school with no one dead but some permanent debilitating injuries -- who's insurance will be covering the students (side question: would he be covered under WCB for working or would he be left out on his own because he "volunteered" without telling dispatch).

The driver isn't following the operating procedures and the actions expose a giant liability risk. So for this hypothetical situation, we see that good intentions could lead to a gigantic mess.

I'm pleased things didn't go wrong but if one of my co-workers did something similar without approval from a supervisor/ dispatch, termination would probably follow (maybe severe suspension followed by complete re-training at the best scenario).

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Bah, I caught the bus along on Hawkwood Drive for school for 5 years and many days it was balls ass cold. Kids need to cowboy up.

Also, it makes sense she got fired. Gigantic liability issues. If she got into an accident it'd be a whole different story.

I can't help but laugh at the heli parents I see every day rain or shine parked at the bus stop waiting for the bus in the morning. I don't remember there being a traffic jam at every bus stop when I was growing up.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Bah, I caught the bus along on Hawkwood Drive for school for 5 years and many days it was balls ass cold. Kids need to cowboy up.

Also, it makes sense she got fired. Gigantic liability issues. If she got into an accident it'd be a whole different story.

So you wouldn't jump into the warm car of someone who drives you every day?

That's not tough, that's stupid.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by nik-

So you wouldn't jump into the warm car of someone who drives you every day?

That's not tough, that's stupid.

We all would have thought it was weird and definitely a bit sketchy if our bus driver showed up with their personal vehicle and told us to get in.

[Brannigans Law]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

We all would have thought it was weird and definitely a bit sketchy if our bus driver showed up with their personal vehicle and told us to get in.

what? really? why? within context of course its -37 your freezing your asses off and someone you know comes to your aid to warm you up. its not like its summer and your at the arcade and they roll up in a van with candy.