Stagecoach London officials were re-examining CCTV appearing to show bus driver Mr Appiah using his phone while driving when they saw him urinating in the bottle
A bus driver who was caught on CCTV urinating in a bottle before tossing it out of the window has lost an appeal against his sacking.
The London red bus driver, named only as Mr Appiah, was fired in March last year after the crude act two months earlier which prompted complaints from a passenger. He was also the subject of reports of him using his phone at the wheel.
Stagecoach London investigated Mr Appiah, saying that footage had also shown him taking both hands off the steering wheel while driving to zip up his jacket. He was suspended after the incidents and subjected to a disciplinary hearing.
A report into his conduct said: “On viewing the CCTV, [Stagecoach London] noted a number of incidents of poor driving, including the claimant picking up his mobile phone, taking both hands off the steering wheel to zip up his jacket and reading his duty card all whilst the bus was in motion, amongst other instances of driving with one hand.”
Mr Appiah did not dispute what was seen on the CCTV, My London reports, but claimed he had picked up his phone to stop it from falling which he did not consider as actively using it. Bosses then watched back the footage to corroborate the driver’s version of events, seeing the claimant “urinate in a bottle whilst the vehicle was in motion and then throw the urine out of the window”.
Mr Appiah reportedly resigned following a short break during the hearing. He claimed that he was pressured to resign, but it was said not to be relevant to his claim for being unfairly dismissed. A further hearing was held in March 2024 to address allegations that Mr Appiah had broken Stagecoach London’s mobile phone policy, as well as to address the poor standard of his driving.
The driver claimed he was not aware of the company’s mobile phone policy as he was originally employed by another company before being transferred. Stagecoach London’s policy states that any visible presence of a mobile phone while the engine is running will result in disciplinary action.
A colleague of the driver suggested Mr Appiah should receive additional training to address his bad driving habits and said that he should be educated on the company’s policy. They added that they were aware of two other drivers who touched their phone while driving and who were not disciplined, but the managers of these drivers were said to not be aware of such incidents.
The garage operations manager said Mr Appiah was right to be dismissed without notice for picking up his phone, saying that this was gross misconduct. Employment Judge Whittall said in her report that she found the complaint of unfair dismissal was not well founded and it was dismissed. Stagecoach London, which operated services under contract to Transport for London, was approached but declined the opportunity to comment.
