OTTAWA — An Ottawa bus driver who swore and yelled at a passenger in an incident that ended up on YouTube has been fired.
The driver was dismissed at the end of OC Transpo’s investigation of the confrontation that was recorded by another passenger on his cellphone.
The passenger at the centre of the incident, Matthew Toronno, says he didn’t want to see the operator lose his job.
Toronno says he just wanted the driver to know what he did was wrong and would still like a personal apology.
The driver does have the option to file a grievance over his firing.
The transit union had stood by the driver saying it couldn’t be proven that the driver was actually the one doing the swearing.
The minute-long, obscenity-laced video posted earlier this month shows a male passenger in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt at the front of the bus, behind the driver’s seat.
A man the YouTube post claims is the bus driver can be heard yelling threats and swearing and repeatedly telling the passenger to “shut up.” The driver is not seen.
OC Transpo general manager Alain Mercier apologized last week for the incident and said the company would take appropriate action if necessary once the investigation was completed.