Martha's Vineyard bus driver fired for racist remark

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, Mass. — The Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) has fired a bus driver for telling a man they drove by him because of his race, according to a statement from the company.

A VTA Route 13 bus going from Edgartown to Oak Bluffs passed by the man as he tried to flag down the bus on Beech Road around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The bus was full, but the driver never switched the destination marquee to read “Bus at Capacity.”

The man took an Uber to Oak Bluffs and arrived shortly after the bus. He walked up to the bus driver and asked why they never stopped.

VTA executives reviewed the on-board audio/video footage and determined the driver responded to the man by saying the bus was full. When the man challenged the response, the driver stated, “well, it’s because you’re black.”

“The VTA and their operating company, Transit Connection, Inc., who manages the vehicle operators, have a zero tolerance police for this type of behavior,” the statement read. “The vehicle operator involved in this incident has been terminated from employment, effective immediately.”

Cox Media Group