HSR must get rid of bad apples

RE: City investigating after HSR driver accused of grabbing passenger by hair (July 6)

I read the article about the bus driver and it reminded me of a similar incident several years ago involving my son. It was an exceptionally hot day for June and I remember him getting home from writing his exam, redfaced, wet and extremely upset. He told me the bus driver wouldn’t let him on the bus because he didn’t have his picture ID on him.

It’s a three-kilometre walk from the high school to our home. He had tried to get on the bus at the stop right by the high school, and had handed over his student fare ticket. The bus driver would not give him the ride and she wouldn’t give him his ticket back. I called HSR to complain, and the bus driver tried to blame it all on my son, stating he was verbally abusive.

A skinny, shy, quiet kid whose teachers have nothing but good things to say about him? Highly unlikely. A bus driver on a power trip or in a bad mood? Much more likely. Bus drivers need sensitivity training to work with the public, and HSR needs to cull the bad apples. Heather Campbell, Hamilton