The Central Ohio Transit Authority has suspended the driver accused of discriminating against a gay passenger whom she kicked off the bus earlier this month. Jacquelyn A. Willis was suspended without pay on Monday pending the outcome of the investigation into the incident. She had just returned from a pre-scheduled vacation.

The Central Ohio Transit Authority has suspended the driver accused of discriminating against a gay passenger whom she kicked off the bus earlier this month.



Jacquelyn A. Willis was suspended without pay on Monday pending the outcome of the investigation into the incident. She had just returned from a pre-scheduled vacation.



COTA is following the procedure outlined in its contract with the Transit Workers Union Local 208 to investigate the incident, said Marty Stutz, agency spokesman. A union representative did not return a call seeking comment, and Willis could not be reached.



�There is an investigation into the incident on the bus wherein there was an interruption in service and two customers were on the coach at the time,� he said.



Willis was driving the No. 83 bus this month when Ben Purdom boarded on his way to work at the AMC Easton movie theater. Security footage from the bus shows Purdom pay his fare, take his seat near the back doors. Another passenger already was on the bus.



Shortly after Purdom boarded the bus, Willis told him, �If you keep doing what you�re doing, I�m going to have to ask you to get off. I�m uncomfortable with you on here.�



Purdom appeared to be sitting quietly using his cellphone and looking out the bus windows before Willis started talking to him.



He asked the driver what he was doing wrong, but she never explained. She suggests on the video that Purdom might assault her.



Eventually, Willis stopped the bus and called a supervisor. Purdom started filming the incident on his cellphone, and the video collected about 64,000 views on Facebook. A supervisor and police showed up at the scene, but Purdom said they offered no explanation for what the driver thought he was doing wrong.



The transit supervisor eventually took Purdom and the other passenger to their final destinations.



�I know very little of what�s going on,� Purdom said. �I just want to see nobody else have to be inconvenienced.�