Another Muni Driver Fired?

Were they booted from the bus?

​Last week, we were shocked to learn that Muni was in the process of doing something it never does -- firing a driver. In this case, the operator was busted for texting while driving a busload of passengers down Divisadero. The driver was caught on video, but Muni officials only suspended the operator until the video went viral on the news.

In a seemingly unprecedented move, Muni is talking of firing yet another driver. That's two drivers, back-to-back. Is it part of the transit agency's new PR strategy?

The Examiner gives us the story today about the grumpy Muni driver who kicked a family off the bus after allowing a woman and child to board, but not dad.

According to the Ex, the woman and her child were on the 24-Divisadero when she asked the bus driver to open the doors for her husband, who was on the curb with the stroller.

The driver opened the doors, but then yelled at the man when he started to get on the bus. The Muni operator had apparently opened the doors to let the woman and her child out -- not to let the husband on board.

The driver reportedly started yelling at the family, telling them they were holding the bus hostage. The other passengers later called 311 to report the screaming driver.

Paul Rose, spokesman for Muni, saw surveillance footage of the incident, and once again expressed disapproval over a driver's behavior.

"There is no excuse for something like that," Rose says.  He then explains that the operator, who had started working for Muni five months ago, was now on nondriving status while officials decide what to do about his lack of people skills. He will face some sort of disciplinary action --  possibly termination.

SF Weekly called Rose to find out how often a Muni driver is actually terminated. He told us, "It happens more often than you're thinking."

Well, that might be true now.

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