WASHINGTON – A Metrorail operator caught on camera looking at his cellphone no longer works for the transit agency.
“We identified the person in the photo. His employment with WMATA ended on March 27,” Metro said in a Twitter post Friday. “Metro has a zero-tolerance policy on the use of electronic devices by train operators that calls for termination on the first offense.”
We identified the person in the photo. His employment with WMATA ended on March 27, 2013. (1/2) #wmata
— @wmata (@wmata) April 12, 2013
Metro has a zero-tolerance policy on the use of electronic devices by train operators that calls for termination on the first offense. (2/2)
— @wmata (@wmata) April 12, 2013
Metro spokesman Dan Stessel tells NBC 4 that he could not say that the operator was fired because it was a personnel matter.
Last year, nine metro employees were fired for using cell phones. Eight were bus drivers, one was a laborer but none were train operators, NBC 4 reports.
A reader sent the photo of the unidentified operator to the blog “Unsuck D.C. Metro.”
Riders at the Cleveland Park station were unsettled by the news Friday saying that bus drivers are responsible for transporting a lot of people through the city’s busy streets.
WTOP’s John Aaron contributed to this report. Follow @JohnAaronWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
