Bus driver unnerves riders

Two women complain that a county bus driver nodded off. That's laughable, he says.

By CARRIE RITCHIE
Published July 12, 2007

Sharon Van Tornhout and Anna Smead hopped on a Pasco County bus Monday morning to hunt for jobs at Gulf View Square.

But their attention quickly turned to the bus driver. They say he narrowly missed hitting a curb and a mailbox.

When the bus stopped at a red light on Little Road, the women said, the driver appeared to nod off. The light turned green, but the bus didn't go.

"I said 'hey' and he started," Van Tornhout, 51, said.

She called Pasco County Public Transportation, and they sent a replacement driver.

But a few hours later when Van Tornhout got on a bus to go home, she looked up in shock. It was the same driver behind the wheel.

"I think it's wrong that they're jeopardizing thousands of lives because this guy was tired," Van Tornhout said.

But the driver, Dominick Cerbone, 46, said he wasn't falling asleep. He found the women's claim laughable.

"When I got to the station for assessment, they told me what (my replacement) was about and I just started laughing," Cerbone said. "It was stupid."

Cerbone said his water bottle fell from the dashboard and landed near the pedals. When he got to the red light, he fished the bottle out, which delayed his start when the light turned green, he said.

Transportation Manager Mike Carroll said officials were "fully satisfied" that Cerbone was capable of finishing the work day. They hadn't received any other complaints, he noted, so they sent him back out around noon.

Cerbone was hired last September and previously drove for Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. He received a written reprimand for causing an accident in a Pasco bus on April 2. Cerbone reached down to scratch his leg while stopped at a light, causing the bus to lurch into a truck, said Pasco County Risk Manager Jane Calano. No one was injured.

At this time, Carroll said, the driver faces no disciplinary action over the latest complaint.

"(Cerbone) is qualified," Carroll said. "We screen our operators pretty thoroughly, and provide extensive training and education, particularly on safe driving. ... Our top priority is safety."

But Van Tornhout isn't satisfied. When she saw Cerbone driving again Monday afternoon, she called transportation officials to complain. She said they told her it wasn't her concern.

"I'm absolutely appalled that they think it's no big deal," she said.

Carrie Ritchie can be reached at critchie@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 11, 2007, 22:28:47]