For safety reasons

Woman with screaming child thrown off bus in Vienna

Symbolic image

(Bild: Wiener Linien/Manfred Helmer)

Wiener Linien has investigated an incident that took place on a bus on route 13A on Tuesday morning. The driver ejected a woman and her screaming toddler from the vehicle. For safety reasons, as a spokeswoman for Wiener Linien emphasized on Friday. They had spoken to the driver and were unable to establish any misconduct on his part. 

In principle, drivers of Wiener Linien vehicles have the right to expel passengers for two reasons: firstly, if they violate the house rules or the conditions of carriage, and secondly, if their onward transportation would create dangerous situations.

Toddler shouted louder and louder
According to Wiener Linien, this was probably the problem: According to the driver's account, the child, who he estimated to be around four to five years old, had already boarded the bus with his mother, shouting. The two had sat down in the seat directly behind the driver. When the child wanted something that his mother refused to give him, this triggered more shouting.

Child should get some fresh air
The driver, who felt disturbed in his concentration, first sought a conversation with the mother and advised her to change the situation so that she could get some fresh air with the child. The woman refused. Two or three stops further on, he then ordered them both off the bus.

Could not concentrate
According to Wiener Linien, he felt his concentration was so impaired that he could no longer have driven the bus safely. Drivers are responsible for the safe transportation of passengers, it was emphasized. Not least for this reason, the bus driver would have behaved correctly.

"That's a child"
According to a report in the "Presse", the action is said to have triggered protests from other passengers. "Are you serious?", "Unbelievable!", "That's a child", "You can't throw a small child off the bus because it's crying", "Don't you have any children?", "What do Wiener Linien say about this?" were some of the comments from other passengers.