Three TTC drivers accused of texting while steering busloads of passengers across the city have been fired.

A source close to the investigation confirmed the news Star on Monday night.

The drivers were caught on camera last week steering with cellphones in hand. The photos were taken by shocked passengers who quickly whipped out their smart phones when they saw what the bus drivers were up to.

The TTC launched an investigation after the photos surfaced late last week.

On Monday, officials weren’t commenting on the status of the case.

“We have a disciplinary process that we need to follow,” TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said. “We would never jeopardize the discipline process.”

“What I can tell you is that we take the matter extremely seriously and our actions will be commensurate with the seriousness with which we take this matter.”

Union president Bob Kinnear said he could not comment because the matter is being dealt with internally.

“The TTC is conducting an investigation and the TTC is taking measures,” he said.

Texting while driving has been outlawed in Ontario since October 2009 and was banned under TTC policy long before that.

Mike Schmitz, the iPhone photographer behind the first photo that surfaced last week, was upset when he heard the driver had been fired.

“That’s not what I wanted at all. Not at all,” he said. “I feel pretty bad now.”

Schmitz said he would have been satisfied with a simple warning for the driver he caught texting while steering the 165 Weston Rd. North bus through traffic last Wednesday.

He said the driver was going about 50 km/h with his attention divided between the road and his phone.

“It is a bummer,” Schmitz said. “But still, it happened.”

Last week, the TTC asked customers to stop snapping “gotcha” photos of misbehaving drivers.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Ross said if passengers spot drivers using their phones behind the wheel, they should call the TTC to report the bus and route number and date and time of the occurrence.

“Cameras in the face of operators can escalate a situation that doesn’t need to be escalated,” Ross said.