Report: MBTA driver orders students off bus in Roxbury

BOSTON -- Scared kids called their parents after an MBTA bus driver kicked some middle school students off of her bus and left them on the side of the road.

Craig Galvin got a terrified call from his 13-year-old daughter.

“All I heard was frantic screaming that the bus driver was taking them somewhere where we're not supposed to be,” said Galvin.

According to a transit police report, the driver said students were acting up, and falsely pushing the bell to get off. The report goes on to say she ordered a group of kids off the bus randomly in Roxbury and then headed for her base, an unfamiliar direction for the kids.

Galvin described the feeling as his daughter tried to give him landmarks like a South Boston storage facility.

“Horrified, because I wanted to be able to help her, but I couldn’t. And I didn't know where she was, nor did I know what was going on,” said Galvin.

Galvin managed to catch up to the bus at the Andrew Square Station, where the driver had brought the rest of the students. Transit police were already on scene and dispatched a cruiser to wait with the kids left in Roxbury.

“They were frantic and some of them were crying, but they were okay, which was what the most important thing was,” said Galvin.

Officials say the driver drove a special bus that served Boston Latin students, and has been with the MBTA since 1999. Officials say she did not appear under the influence.

The MBTA's general manager made a statement: "As public servants, MBTA employees must act in a professional manner at all times and never should they do anything to inflame a situation with customers."

7NEWS was told the same driver picked up the kids every day. She's on paid leave right now, and pending the outcome of an investigation this week and MBTA officials say she will be disciplined.

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