

Chris Herhalt, CP24.com





The TTC says it is investigating after a bus passenger recorded a bus driver playing a colourful game on his phone while driving in downtown Toronto on Wednesday evening.

A bus rider named Cory told CP24 he was waiting for the 75 Sherbourne bus near Front and Sherbourne streets just before 7 p.m. Wednesday.

He said the driver nearly missed him and his friend waiting at the stop but they got on board.

Once he was on the bus, as it headed north, Cory said he noticed the driver’s eyes glancing down toward the bottom of his steering wheel.

“Then I looked down and saw colourful flashes,” he said.

In video Cory posted, the TTC bus driver is seen looking down at what appears to be a video game open on his phone while the bus is moving in a live lane of downtown traffic.

“Honestly I was pretty disturbed by it,” Cory said. “I have always been a huge advocate for not using the phone while driving.”

He said that he would have reacted differently if the driver just glanced down about a text or two, perhaps concerning a family emergency or some other serious matter, even if that is also against the rules of the road.

But he said he could see only a colourful, flash-filled game on the driver’s phone. Cory said he has filed a complaint about the matter with the TTC and is waiting to hear back.

He said that he thinks most TTC operators are very good at their jobs, but he feels serious action must be taken in this instance.

“I want to hear that this guy got fired,” he said.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green told CP24 it is investigating Cory's complaint.

“We are aware and we are looking into it,” Green said. “We will be taking appropriate action.”

He said operators of TTC vehicles are expected to follow the “rules of the road at all times.”