- Gold Coast mayor slams driver for selfish act
- The Kinetic bus company is currently investigating
Passengers were left furious after the bus driver stopped for ’10 minutes’ to collect a takeaway coffee.
Video of the bizarre episode shows the Kinetic employee on the Gold Coast returning to the broken-down vehicle after getting off at a cafe in Southport.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has criticised the bus driver, calling him “selfish” for putting his personal caffeine fix before his job.
“Buy a coffee maker, make coffee at home and have it available so you don’t inconvenience your passengers,” he told 7News.
‘It’s about service… and that’s what I would say to the bus driver. It’s a matter for the state government because they run the buses, but… you’re there to serve, not to (convenience) and inconvenience others.
“You can just take a sip when you’re done with your shift or in between, but that’s the ultimate rudeness, really.”
However, some social media users were sympathetic to the driver and attacked the mayor.
“What would Tom prefer, a driver taking a break or a fatigued driver crashing a bus?” one person asked.
The driver can be seen boarding the bus again after stopping for a coffee.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate was not happy with the driver’s actions.
Another said: ‘After seeing how they treat bus drivers (especially bus drivers on the Gold Coast), let the man have his coffee!’
Kinetic told Daily Mail Australia it had not received any official complaints and that an internal investigation was currently underway.
“Bus drivers are provided breaks during their shift and while no complaints have been received, Kinetic is investigating this incident,” the company said.