Here we go again. The bus driver from hell on the 7E departing from Pathmark has struck again. He pulled up fast, had a total of two passengers, both with groceries., and began complaining immediately when the second passenger didn’t have her change ready. Then he hemmed and hawed about the fact that she couldn’t find her quarters fast enough to “make them count” because the meter has a timer on it. She got her coins in on time. He then called her “a wart”. Couldn’t believe that he said that. When she asked why, he replied, “Because you need to be removed.” She came back unflummoxed with, “You shouldn’t say things like that,” and he said, “Sure I can.” She countered with, “What, are you above reproach?” The driver pulled out at breakneck speed. “Yeah,” he replied. As she continued to her seat the driver mumbled “All of you need to be removed, you…”
What makes bus drivers believe that they are better than their passengers, and what makes Suffolk Bus think that this is appropriate behavior? Anyone acting this way toward passengers should be “removed” from their post immediately. Just because they are “good drivers” or have a history of good service does not mean that they are above being disciplined. Suffolk Bus often gives out comment cards, and from now on, passengers, if you encounter bad driver behavior, do report it. No one needs to be talked down to, whether they are commuters, shoppers, or just on for the ride.