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Bus driver fired for playing PSP News

PSP News by Ellie Gibson

20 March, 2006

A Lancashire bus driver has been fired after he was caught playing his PSP when he should have been keeping his eyes on the road.

According to the Daily Record, passengers complained to transport authorities after the man was seen with the handheld on his lap whilst driving from Accrington (who? ExACKly) to Blackburn. He was spotted playing not only when the bus was at traffic lights and bus stops, but also when driving down icy roads.

"He was playing a Grand Theft Auto game and the screams of the characters being shot could be heard all around the bus," one passenger is quoted as saying.

"I find it hard to believe that anyone driving a car with a PSP on their knee would be considered a safe driver - doubly so a person in charge of a singledecker bus capable of carrying 40 to 50 passengers."

Following the complaints, authorities reviewed CCTV footage filmed during the journey, and promptly sacked the driver in question.

"We take a very dim view of drivers using any sort of device that will distract them from their job," said Blackburn Transport boss Michael Morton.

"All we are able to say in any of these cases is we feel that the appropriate disciplinary action has been taken."

Police are now investigating the matter to decide whether or not the driver should face charges for motoring offences.

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Comments: 1-31 of 31 in total

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Genji
20/03/06 @ 11:51
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Sony should get him to do PR for them.
Polyphonic
20/03/06 @ 11:54
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The town where I live is on Eurogamer FTW! :D

/should not have mentioned where he lives for fear of being persecuted as a...I can't say it..a..a...chav

Edited 1 times, most recently on 20/03/06 @ 11:59
Blerk
20/03/06 @ 11:58
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"He was playing a Grand Theft Auto game and the screams of the characters being shot could be heard all around the bus," one passenger is quoted as saying.

As I just said in the forums, the noise level was the thing that worried this guy most? o_O
disc
20/03/06 @ 12:04
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Excellent.
smelly
20/03/06 @ 12:06
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When I grow up, if I dr.. drink enough milk..
MisterFalseName
20/03/06 @ 12:07
#6
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"Accrington (who? ExACKly)"

It's what Ian Rush drinks!
Kami
20/03/06 @ 12:08
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Just you wait until JT gets even so much as a whiff of this one... ^^''
Kay
20/03/06 @ 12:18
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I would love to see the CCTV footage - I want to know how he managed to play and drive a bus at the same time. Or maybe he used his feet to steer?

K
Glitch
20/03/06 @ 12:21
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Woohoo, I live in accrington and work in blackburn!

pwnage
Monkey
20/03/06 @ 12:22
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"You could get fired here"
:)
Scientist
20/03/06 @ 12:34
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"I live in accrington and work in blackburn!!"

Commiserations!
Daikon
20/03/06 @ 12:36
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Maybe this has something to do with the Gizmondo guy's mysterious crash...
smelly
20/03/06 @ 13:01
#13
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"Ian Rush? Who's he?"
MyPointIs
20/03/06 @ 13:04
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You see! a DS would never do something like that!

Bad bad naughty PSP!!
squaylor
20/03/06 @ 13:29
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Did he get $10 every time he picked someone up?
Kafeen
20/03/06 @ 13:32
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Woohoo, I live in accrington and work in blackburn!

Don't suppose you used to be a bus driver.
KingOfSpain
20/03/06 @ 13:47
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/is from blackburn
/is proud
kangarootoo
20/03/06 @ 14:02
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Wow, I didn't realise there were so many old farts in this forum (including me). That advert can't have been on our screens for over 15 years surely (or did they re-issue it?).
Bezzy
20/03/06 @ 15:34
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It's not like the old days, when bus drivers were just addicted to PCP.
Scientist
20/03/06 @ 15:49
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"Wow, I didn't realise there were so many old farts in this forum (including me). That advert can't have been on our screens for over 15 years surely (or did they re-issue it?)"

They showed it on BBC News the other week when there was an item on Acrrington Stanley's potential promotion to the Football League. Plus I'm sure it's been on all those Channel 4 clips and cunts "best of" shows.
It's so ingrained in our collective psyche that our pavlovian response to the word "Acrrington" instantly elicits the "eggs-achhh-ly" :-)

"/is from blackburn
/is proud"

Thomas Fuller once said "Pride will spit in pride's face." Sounds like your average Saturday night in Blackburn town centre. ;-)
SuperGamerMatt
20/03/06 @ 16:07
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Well obviously he had one eye on the road and one eye on the PSP, why sack him?
The DS on the other hand uses both eyes, now thats dangerous. Also my school bus driver plays on his DS whilst waiting for 3:00 and everyone to get on, I don't think he plays when he's driving though. But you can hear cheery chimes of Mario & Luigi and the sexual sounds of Project Rub sometimes!
tengu
20/03/06 @ 16:12
#22
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The DS is unplayable on a bus though. eg. Ouendan or Trauma Centre + moving vehicle = bad.
smelly
20/03/06 @ 17:18
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Wow, I didn't realise there were so many old farts in this forum

Well the older guys are easy to spot, they're the ones that try to have well reasoned discussions.

As opposed to just saying XYZ suxors!
kangarootoo
20/03/06 @ 17:29
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"Well the older guys are easy to spot, they're the ones that try to have well reasoned discussions"

Hey, thats me* \o/

Oh... I got so excited at being mature that I wet myself.




*well, most of the time. I reserve the right to an immature strop from time to time.
kangarootoo
20/03/06 @ 17:30
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p.s. Off topic before I bugger off home.

Those Oblivion movies on Eurogamer TV are well cool.

I'm so looking forward to that game.

Oh... I wet myself again.
Baronen
20/03/06 @ 21:20
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Incidently, I'm pretty sure the bus driver driving the bus I was on earlier today was hammered. :/
hjarg666
20/03/06 @ 22:21
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Is it even possible? The bus prolly had automatic gear and all that, but still, seems quite hard to divide your attention on little screen and big real life screen. Plus, you need at least 1 hand to drive and at least 2 hands to play GTA. Was this guy a mutant or what?

Damn, i could use some driving lessons from him. Would make these long drives much shorter :)
Zuiyo
21/03/06 @ 10:07
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/is from blackburn
/is proud

So Spain was in Blackburn after all.
Lagto_Soa
21/03/06 @ 10:20
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This thread needs to be hijacked into an "Old Adverts That DON'T Get Repeated On Every 'I Love 1980-odd' Clips Show Like Bloody Shake 'n' Vac" thread. What about...

- Coco Pops, Building Blocks
- Miiiighty roooobots, miiiighty ve-hi-cles
- Robot! Anti! Terror! Squad! RATS!
Dodgymat
22/03/06 @ 00:41
#30
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#la la la la la LOOK IN !#

Great mag that makes me feel so old - just for remembering it.

Funnily enough I saw a copy of one on the s-s-shelf in Arkwrights' Open All Hours s-s-store the other n-n-night.
thelastslice
09/06/06 @ 16:41
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I'm glad the guy in this video didn't hear about this...

http://www.talkingwithjon.com/ scroll down a little

Comments: 1-31 of 31 in total

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