An exhaustive report on December’s runaway Red Line train ride raises — but does not answer — one critical question: what does it take to actually get fired at the MBTA?

Yes, the 25-year veteran who admitted straight up, “It was operator error, my fault” has indeed been fired from the transit authority after putting about 50 passengers through some of the most horrifying moments of their lives. David Vazquez had tied the cord from the microphone used to make on-board announcements around the train’s throttle and forgot to set the emergency hand brake — all because, he told investigators, he wanted to put on his gloves.

When he exited the train to throw a toggle switch, after requesting permission to do so, he apparently forgot that he had rigged the throttle. Only a quick-thinking T engineer managed to cut power to the system and stop the train after it hurtled through four stations.

Now it turns out that Vazquez had a total of 13 violations on his record — five of them serious safety violations, including a derailment in the Cabot Yard in 1995, driving through a flagging site at 40 miles per hour, and the most recent in 2011 and 2013. But under the terms of the MBTA collective bargaining agreement timing is everything — and Vazquez’ timing for those five violations was exquisite.

The contract allows the T to fire drivers but only after a third safety violation in two years (the first two earn the driver only a suspension). Go more than two years between violations and it’s as if they never happened. It’s like a license for incompetence. But more importantly a license that could put passengers at risk — as it did last December.

New cars coming on line by 2018 will include cameras in the cabs that will allow officials to monitor the conduct of drivers and presumably keep them from taking shortcuts or engaging in other prohibited behavior (texting on a cellphone comes immediately to mind) that could endanger passengers.

But it shouldn’t take new equipment to force better behavior. The collective bargaining agreement should have a three strikes and you’re out rule — not a free pass if you stay out of trouble for two years rule.

The private sector would never put up with that level of misconduct. The riding public — which, let’s not forget will likely be paying a bit more for those rides in the days ahead — shouldn’t have to either.