Handi-Transit user concerned after trainee caught riding in a lawn chair
Rebecca Kozak says she was told by the driver that man in lawn chair was a trainee
A Winnipeg Handi-Transit user says she was baffled after seeing a trainee strapped into a lawn chair in the front of a Handi-Transit van.
"In the spot where there's supposed to be a wheelchair, there was a lawn chair," said Rebecca Kozak.
Kozak, a regular Handi-Transit user, said she was picked up at her Fort Rouge home on Tuesday around 7:25 a.m.
"I even sent the picture to my husband and was [wondering] is this a new kind of wheelchair? Am I missing something?" she said.
Her husband confirmed to her that she was, in fact, seeing a lawn chair.
Kozak said the seatbelt was fastened to the floor, but the lawn chair was not anchored. Her first concern was for the man's safety.
"If we get T-boned, that chair — and the person in it — is going flying," she said.
Kozak said when she arrived at her destination, the driver told her that the man in the chair was a trainee.
"My thought was that he was training someone that he probably shouldn't be training. I don't think Handi-Transit would sanction that," she said.
She said 311 instructed her to call Handi-Transit directly. Handi-Transit told her that complaints usually take 10 business days to process.
Kozak said the Handi-Transit employee seemed surprised but did not seem to have a sense of urgency or concern for the man's safety. Kozak was told that a manager would be informed.
"This guy is out here being dangerous. You need to do something now," she said.
Driver suspended
Handi-Transit is run by the City of Winnipeg's public transit system. A city spokesperson says contractors are required to reinstall the front passenger seat in modified vans when they are training a new driver.
The city also said this kind of behavior is unacceptable and the driver has been suspended. The vehicle in question has been taken out of service.