An Edinburgh bus driver has taken Lothian Buses to court claiming unfair dismissal after a collision involving a cyclist.
Sam Beech, the former Lothian Buses driver, was involved in the incident on September 21, 2019, reports the Edinburgh Evening News.
An employment tribunal heard how he had accelerated away from a bus stop, near to the Pilrig Street junction at around 8:30pm, when a cyclist overtook him and clipped his wing mirror. He claimed it wasn't until after he spotted the cyclist gesturing to him that he realised the nature of the collision.
However, CCTV footage shows the bus and cyclist collided again. According to Mr Beech, the longer triple axle bus has a “quick response” to acceleration and it was the cyclist who lost his balance and fell into the vehicle.
The ex-bus driver also said police cleared him of any wrongdoing as the cyclist was “under the influence of alcohol". He added that the cyclist was not wearing reflective gear and had no lights at the time of the incident.
The paper reveals that Lothian Buses insists the driver drove on “aggressively”, which led to the collision, and was unaware of the cyclist until he had hit the bus's wing mirror.
“It would have been easier to slow the bus and stop the bus. It’s unnatural to accelerate towards a cyclist who is acting in a way you can not predict", dismissing manager Louis Ferguson said.
There was also discussion over what action the driver, who waited several minutes before leaving the cab to check on the cyclist, should have taken.
Mr Beech, 39, explained the delay was due to him radioing the control room and calling 999. He added that union reps had also advised drivers not to get if they believed the situation could be aggressive.
However, the bus firm insisted he should have left the bus and checked the cyclist.
Mr Beech believes the company should have given him a written warning and offered training and claimed that the company used the incident as "an opportunity" after he filed a grievance against Mr Ferguson
Though, Mr Ferguson said the ex-driver's actions were “worthy of dismissal" and that he was not aware of the grievance.
