Remember the baby bus driver?

It just so happens that we have the supervisory report on that incident


Operator Hendren pulled the bus over in Hillsboro and sent a message to Dispatch for a verbal passenger. Originally it was thought that she pulled the bus over because of a crying baby and wanted the baby off the bus. When I talked to her she told me that she pulled the bus over to try and help the mother stop the baby from crying because the baby was screaming and the screaming was keeping her from concentrating on her driving. Operator Hendren told me that she felt unsafe operating the bus under those conditions so she pulled over. She said that while the bus was pulled over the mother called her husband to come pick her up then got off the bus. The operator told the mother she did not have to get off the bus. According to the operator the woman still got off the bus and waited for her husband to pick her up. At this point several other passengers on the bus began complaining and yelling at the operator while also calling her names. Operator Hendren said that she sent the “Loud Verbal” message to Dispatch at this point. Before Police could arrive, the other passengers got off the bus. I explained to the Operator that she should be able to drive the bus with a crying baby on it. I asked her what she would do if she were driving her personal car with a crying baby in it that needed to go to the hospital. Would she stop the car until the baby stopped crying or continue taking it to the hospital? She said she would concentrate on getting the baby to the hospital and not stop the car. I told her this was the same thing. Concentrate on getting the bus down the road and not on the baby crying. She said that if she felt unsafe going down the road she was not going to continue. I told her she could pull the bus over and collect herself before continuing or drive slower if she needed to for safety. That way pulling the bus over would be about her and her needs, but when she started talking to the mother about the baby it became about the baby. In the future I told her only to ask the mother if the baby needed medical attention. If the mother said “Yes”, then pull the bus over and call for medical. Other than that she needed to keep the bus moving as best she can, but do not get out of the seat to try and help the mother stop the baby from crying. Operator Hendren repeated to me several times that the screaming baby made her feel unsafe to drive and she was not going to drive when she felt unsafe to do so. I repeated to her that she could stop or slow down to help her feel safe. At one point I explained to her that we are expected to carry crying babies on the bus. I told her that it was a part of her job and if she felt that she could not do it then she would not be considered fit for duty. I then asked her if she was telling me that she was not fit for duty right now. I told her that if she was telling me that she was not fit for duty then she would need to get off the bus right now and mark off sick. She said she was fine and could drive the bus so I let her continue in service. I did tell her to call Dispatch at the end of her shift.