In an article by transportation reporter, Tess Kalinowski, the Toronto Star reports that the TTC has suspended a driver for leaving his bus in the middle of its trip and taking a late-night, seven-minute coffee and washroom break. A passenger recently filmed the driver taking the break at a coffee shop at Bathurst Street and Wilson Avenue around 3 a.m.

Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union confirmed today, Thursday, February 4 that the TTC has relieved the driver on the 310 Bathurst overnight bus of his duties, pending an internal investigation.

The union said it would not comment further on the matter.

The TTC apologized yesterday Wednesday, February 3, after transit officials became aware of the video, showing the driver spending seven minutes taking an unauthorized break, using the washroom and buying a drink at a shop near Bathurst and Wilson.

The Star says that Reuven Politi posted a dark, grainy video he shot on Friday, January 29 after the driver’s breaks repeatedly delayed his regular bus trip on the way home from his job as a security guard in North York.

The bus usually stops at Finch Avenue West and Bathurst Street at 2:46 a.m., where Politi gets on, and at Wilson Avenue the driver often leaves the bus, according to Politi.

The seven-minute video shows the driver exiting the bus and entering a doughnut shop, where he uses the washroom and then buys a drink. The bus is left idling, the door open. When a rider complains about the delay, the driver can be seen putting his finger to his lips in a gesture meant to silence her.

Politi said he only posted the video early Wednesday after politely asking the driver Tuesday night not to take his accustomed break, when the bus was already 15 minutes late. According to Politi, the operator replied, “This is the 21st century, kid, not the ’60s; I can do whatever I want.”

Politi alleges that, after the driver again left riders shivering on the bus while he went into the doughnut shop, he confronted Politi on his return and dared him to complain. Politi said the operator gave his bus and badge numbers and told him that the union would protect his job. Politi alleges that the driver swore at him and noted that the video camera in the bus was recording the whole incident.

The Star quotes TTC spokesperson Brad Ross who says that the TTC wouldn’t use the security images when investigating the driver because only the police have access to those cameras and the operator’s conduct is an internal personnel matter.

Ross said that the TTC will thoroughly investigate this incident, like similar incidents, including recent photographs of subway collectors apparently snoozing on the job, adding that he immediately brought the video to the attention of the TTC’s top executives.

“It is not acceptable for a TTC operator to leave passengers on a running bus to get a coffee,” he said. “Our operators and collectors are public servants. They deal directly with customers … in the jobs they do. They need to think about the passenger who is waiting on the bus at 3 a.m. while they’re taking seven minutes to get a coffee.

“To those customers, we apologize. We have a lot of work to do here,” said Ross, adding that the TTC needs to bolster the supervision of frontline staff.

Politi, who moved to Toronto six months ago from Israel via Copenhagen, takes three buses to work each night, including a York Region Transit bus. Although the driver’s regular, unscheduled breaks irk him and he can’t understand why TTC riders leave their buses so dirty, transit here is otherwise excellent, he said.

“It’s the best transportation. I can go on TTC to any place in Toronto.”