At approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday night, police arrived on the scene of a UB Stampede bus that had charged into the Commons when it was left unattended. The driver was on a brief break in the bathroom break.
According to University Police, it was determined that no one was on board the bus and nobody was injured during the incident.
"My guess is that it was bus driver error and the parking break was not engaged," said Lieutenant Kathy Zysek, designee for Gerald Schoenle, Chief of University Police. "I assume the driver didn't perform the proper procedure for securing the bus when she left."
Upon review of the accident, Lashunda Taylor, the driver of the runaway bus, was terminated from her position at First Transit, the company that runs UB Stampede.
"I feel bad for the bus driver," said Taylor Gabryel, a senior sociology major.
Although some may feel as if the punishment was too harsh, others believe that the end result was justified.
"I think it's negligence on the bus driver's part," said Jena Klein, a literacy specialist grad student. "There are these students all around."
According to Christopher Austin, assistant director of Parking & Transportation Services, the incident was not one that should be taken lightly.
"Parking and Transportation takes this very seriously," Austin said. "You can't have lapses in procedure."
The accident was caused by a failure to properly engage the emergency break, Austin said.
"The driver exited through the back door to leave the bus, then closed the door behind her, which disengaged the emergency break feature that is present when that door is open," Austin said.
Jasson Ruiz, eyewitness and Starbucks employee recalls watching the driver leave her bus and the bus rolling over the curb and into the Commons soon after.
"I heard my friend screaming when the bus crashed," Ruiz said.
Austin said that a mechanical investigation was launched shortly after the incident in order to rule out any mechanical errors and to correctly determine fault in the accident.
"All drivers will be mandated to go through a 20 to 30 minute safety meeting reviewing what went wrong, as well as review the policy that had been violated," Austin said. "There have not been any accidents within the UB Stampede in over 600,000 recorded miles over the course of 307 days."
While en route from Tops, another UB Stampede driver made the initial call to University Police after overhearing the emergency broadcast on the bus radio, according to a passenger on the bus, Matthew Schnupp, a sophomore pre-pharmacy major.
"There was an emergency call over the radio saying there was a bus that hit a wall," Schnupp said. "The driver of the bus called the cops and they showed up on the scene before our bus even got back to campus."
After the University Police concluded their investigation, officers reported that no one had been injured. Additionally, the Commons and the vehicle itself suffered only minimal damage.
"We're certainly making all drivers aware of what occurred," Austin said. "With a continuous focus on safety, I don't see this happening again."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
