Driver suspended for refusing to drive bus with rainbow colors on it as it 'promotes homosexuality'
NORFOLK, ENGLAND: A Konectbus bus driver who refused to operate a bus which had rainbow pride colors because it "promotes homosexuality" has been suspended.
The unsavory incident unfolded at the Norwich Bus Station, Norfolk, and saw the driver insisting on swapping the bus he was assigned with another one because of the vehicle's service number, which had the colors from the rainbow flag.
It was first highlighted by passenger Rebecca Sears, 19, who took to Twitter to share the details and a picture of the driver, who had grey hair and appeared to be in his 50s.
"Today I was waiting for the 501 bus to thickthorn and we were told by the driver we had to wait for him to swap buses as 'this bus promotes homosexuality and I refuse to drive it' due to the multicolored “501” sign @nparkandride. Norwich doesn’t appreciate homophobia," she wrote.
"I complained to the staff at the station and they were already aware of who I was talking about, so why has nothing been done? I’m aware everyone is entitled to their own views however, if you can’t do your job properly because of your bigotry, maybe you need rethink your choices," she continued.
She detailed the incident further during an interview with the Daily Mail and said she believed that the driver was initially joking.
"He said we have to wait a minute, he said I am not driving this bus because it promotes homosexuality," she revealed. "I was standing with two other women and we kind of thought he was joking, in a weird way. Like we were just thinking is it really that big of a deal."
"I thought it was all just quite bad, it made us 10 minutes late - which isn't bad when it's more a legit reason but for that sort of reason it is."
She said she went to the front desk to explain what had just transpired. "I said to them that he had gone to swap buses and that it is ridiculous because that is just a ridiculous reason. You are stopping people from getting home for such a ridiculous reason. It is really bad."
In the aftermath of the incident, Go East Anglia, which runs the Konectbus service, said the driver had been suspended and a full investigation was underway.
They had initially responded to her tweets and said they "find this attitude, behavior and level of customer service completely unacceptable."
The company said it "prides itself on values that support diversity and inclusion and has been a champion of Norwich Pride since 2017" and that they "do not condone any behavior from our drivers that does not support this view."
In a recent statement, a spokesperson for the company added, "We particularly want all customers of whatever background or sexual orientation to feel comfortable on our services. The driver involved in this incident has been suspended and a full investigation is underway."