SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A San Diego bus driver takes a stand over COVID safety and pays the price.
The driver's employer suspended him last week after he refused to drive two passengers who would not wear face masks on the bus, which is required by MTS.
That driver, Mike Russell, was picking up passengers along his route last Thursday in Spring Valley when he said an elderly couple boarded without facial coverings and sat directly behind him.
Russell initially gave them some time to put their masks on.
"And they just told me that they don't wear masks," Russell told News 8.
"In my judgment, it was not a safe situation for either myself or other passengers on the bus given the COVID/omicron crisis we are going through right now," he added.
Russell then decided to pull over at the next stop, in Spring Valley, where he got off and called a supervisor.
"They sent him out," he explained. "It took about an hour, and they took over the bus and sent me back in a car to the main office, and then I was immediately suspended from there."
Russell, who has worked as a bus driver for four years, was suspended for three days without pay.
First Transit, which is Russell's direct employer and a subcontractor for MTS, did not return News 8's request for comment.
A spokesman for MTS said in a statement:
"First Transit works in partnership with MTS to focus on educating riders about the face covering requirement. The vast majority of transit riders comply. MTS security officers, road supervisors, ambassadors and other personnel can provide a free face covering if a rider doesn't have one.
"Additionally, bus operators are advised to call for support from road supervisors in these situations. This allows bus operators to focus on the most important aspect of their job – driving the bus and safely getting passengers to their destinations."
The spokesman added that the driver should have continued driving his route until the road supervisor was able to meet up with the bus at an upcoming stop to deal with the passengers in question.
"They want the bus driver to be responsible for everything but not have any authority," Russell said, adding that he did not attempt to enforce the mask mandate.
"I technically did not enforce anything," he said. "I let them on the bus, I took them for their ride, and they eventually got to where they were going. I just refused to continue driving an unsafe bus."
One rider, who was not on that particular bus, said she believes it was an overreaction to stop the bus, forcing passengers to wait.
"I would have been upset because I probably would have been on my way to work, or home," Justice Williams said.
Russell conceded that passengers may have been frustrated, but he still stands behind his actions.
"Everybody should feel safe when they are riding on public transit," he said. "They shouldn't have to worry about whether they are going to get sick, or get their kids or parents sick."
Russell said that he has also filed a formal grievance through his union, adding that he would take the same action if confronted again by another passenger who refuses to wear a facial covering.
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