STM bus driver caught on camera yelling, nearly hitting cyclist suspended for 5 days
Union plans to contest the punishment on behalf of the driver
The STM bus driver who was caught on camera passing close to a cyclist on Sherbrooke Street West and arguing with him after the fact has been suspended for five days without pay.
Once the video was posted online and began circulating earlier this month, the transit authority said it would investigate and take "appropriate measures."
The cyclist who took the video, Stefan Popovic, filed a complaint with the STM. He described the driver's behaviour as unacceptable.
"It's actually an example of road rage. He used his vehicle to intimidate. It's dangerous and unacceptable behaviour," he told Radio-Canada earlier this month.
Popovic wears a helmet equipped with a camera. He shared the video on his YouTube channel April 11.
Union to protest decision
The union representing bus drivers and Metro operators said it plans to contest the suspension.
In the video, an STM bus — Bus 24, which runs along Sherbrooke St. — can be seen nearly hitting Popovic as it passes the cyclist to his left.
"Come a little closer, next time," Popovic tells the driver in the video, when he catches up to the bus at a street corner.
The driver then responds: "Take the bike path down there, big guy," referring to the designated bike lane on de Maisonneuve Boulevard.
"When you're riding in the centre [of the road] there, it's difficult to go around you," the driver says later in the video.