After last week's texting-while-driving scandal on the 24-Divisadero, Muni is about to have another terrible day for PR. According to witnesses quoted on the Examiner, over the weekend a Muni driver on the same 24-Divisadero line accused a family of three of "holding the bus hostage" when a mother with her child asked the driver to open the doors to let her husband on with their stroller. The driver opened the doors, but with the intention of giving the mom and her kid the boot. When the father boarded, the bus driver demanded all of them get off, threatened to call Muni dispatch and wouldn't move the bus until the family left. When the bus finally moved along without the stranded family on board, it hit mechanical problems (possibly due to karmic complications) at the next stop near 24th and Castro and the driver cleared everyone off.

We imagine Muni spokesman Paul Rose is getting pretty tired of telling the press that this sort of behavior is unacceptable, but he parroted his standard response again anyway while reminding us that "there is no excuse for something like that." With apologies to the fine and noble Muni drivers out there, how many times will those words escape Mr. Rose's lips before we all start to believe that every single operator is intent on eschewing as many social courtesies as possible?

Anyhow, the driver has been placed on non-driving status and could be ejected from the agency after witnesses reported the incident to 311 and surveillance footage from the bus confirmed their accounts. A Union rep (who admits to having zero details on the incident) weakly defended the driver to the Examiner by noting operators aren't supposed to reopen the doors after pulling away from the curb.

Previously on SFist: Muni Driver Busted Texting and Driving, Threatens to Never Pick Up That Rider Again
[SFExaminer]