How drunk can you get while driving a bus?

Apart from the fact that he has endangered many innocent lives, I admire this guys balls.

Wasn’t John Hargreaves but Kate Carnell in drag. Except this time got too drunk to run away in time before the “old bill” showed up.

Mr Evil said :

What I’d like to know is, what the hell was John Hargreaves doing driving an ACTION bus anyway????

Hitching a ride down to the new gaol. All part of “The New Regime” you see

Most people will be somewhere near .02 after a single standard drink so it seems a reasonable limit to imply no drinking at all. A strictly zero limit is too problematic beacause so many unexpected things can give you a small positive reading:

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,24940627-2862,00.html

What I’d like to know is, what the hell was John Hargreaves doing driving an ACTION bus anyway????

Not surprising really.

In the last 5 months I’ve seen ACTION drivers:

*wearing ipod earphones (drown out annoying sirens and complaining customers)
*speeding on Commonwealth Ave
*texting while carrying passengers on Mouat st towards Ginninderra drive
*running red lights

johnboy said :

You want to bar them from using cough syrup?

plenty of non alcohol cough medicine out there, jb. benadryl for one.

G-Fresh said :

Yes but was the bus on schedule?

From what I’ve read he wasn’t even meant to on the road.

Yes but was the bus on schedule?

You want to bar them from using cough syrup?

perhaps – just putting it out there, bus drivers should have a zero alcohol level when operating several tons of vehicle? what would happen if a kid / adult / senior had stepped out in front of him on a pedestrian crossing? would he have been able to stop, with his impaired judgement?

I think you’ll find that wasn’t a serious comment, dvaey.

Postalgeek said :

A bus is equivalent to twelve cars in its capacity to carry passengers, so fair enough that the driver of a bus is twelve times over the legal limit.

So following that logic, does that mean a motorcycle rider should have a limit of 0.1 or so? After all, it carries a fraction of the passengers and is fraction of the size? Either .05 is safe, or .02 is safe. If you lose control above .02 then make the law .02, dont toss and turn and umm and ahh about it. Like talking on a mobile is illegal, whether youre a car driver, a bus driver, or any other driver for that matter.

I wonder if he’s gonna apply for a workers licence!!!

Faaaaaark!

you serious?

Did you confront him? Geez, i would have.

Was too shocked. Was on the bus for all of a minute while he did it. I just got to my stop, got the hell off, and called ACTION the next day.

Cameron said :

I do believe I know (not in the biblical sense) the bus driver you write about. Oops.

Yeah? Must be a bit of a clown.

I recall many a time I’d catch a ride with the regular tanker driver for BP Kingston, Phillip etc.

Nice guy, always quick with a ride and a spliff

Honestly, you worry too much 😉

apologies for the double post – i will endeavour to read original articles properly in the future.

I know that some classes of vehicles require limits lower than 0.05.

I think the legal limit is different (lower) for buses.

Not that it makes it any better – just less sensational.

If he had swine flu they’d be printing gold nuggets.

I can’t even stand to catch an ACTION Bus let alone spend my day in one.

I’d drink too most likely.

A bus is equivalent to twelve cars in its capacity to carry passengers, so fair enough that the driver of a bus is twelve times over the legal limit.

Busted

This is front page on the AGE now. Only a four line story tho.

He was no doubt on a one-bus pub crawl. Kotara Cres is where all the ethnic clubs are! That serve excellent beer.

Also ACTION are able to track where a bus is at anytime. If they were aware that Bus *** was out in Narrabundah when they were meant to be somewhere else they would first to try to contact the driver. Also it could of been a fellow bus driver who noticed it.

How about we all just wait to see if there is any Parliament bitching from the Liberal tomorrow or a media release from Stanhope before making any serious comments.
But we should also wait until the court case is finalized as (I’ll admit I don’t know jury duty 100%) some of us might be in the jury for this case & we can’t have any comments that may affect the jury’s decision.

Clown Killer said :

You’re not from the ACT are you Ian.

Here’s my guess on how it will pan out. In court the driver’s counsel will argue that to take away his license would deprive him of an income. He’ll walk away with a hefty fine, a restricted to work hours license and a hell of a time explaining to his bosses why he shouldn’t be on office based duties for eternity. He’ll get work based conselling and rehab. and before you know it he’ll be driving your kids home from school.

Given that he was driving an ACTION bus there’s no way that defence would work for a BAC reading that high. There’s also no doubt that ACTION will sack him if he hasn’t resigned in the meantime.

NickD said :

I wonder what led to the ‘request for assistance’ the police responded to given that ‘No passengers were on the bus at the time of the incident’!

Bus weaving down the road with the driver singing loudly with a stubbie in his hand maybe? lol

I wonder what led to the ‘request for assistance’ the police responded to given that ‘No passengers were on the bus at the time of the incident’!

This is what you get for catching public transport. I mean I never had, because I don’t have the clothes for it, but now I’m turned off forever.

Perhaps the BAC limit for bus drivers is 0.02? …

Cameron said :

Amazing.

I was once the last person on the bus and was sitting in the front of the back half as I watched the driver look at me in the mirror, then reach down and pull out a beer which he then proceeded to take sips from as he concluded the journey.

I do believe I know (not in the biblical sense) the bus driver you write about. Oops.

So he was arouind the .25 mark then?

That still means:
(likely signs at 0.21–0.29)

Stupor
Loss of Understanding
Impaired Sensations
Severe Motor Impairment
Loss of Consciousness
Memory Blackout

Death can kick in beyond .3 depending on the person…

Is that a headline or a challenge, JB?

only five times the usual limit? what are these drivers doing? lift ya game – go for ten!

how bizarre; who let him have the keys – are they at some fault too? surely? please??

You’re not from the ACT are you Ian.

Here’s my guess on how it will pan out. In court the driver’s counsel will argue that to take away his license would deprive him of an income. He’ll walk away with a hefty fine, a restricted to work hours license and a hell of a time explaining to his bosses why he shouldn’t be on office based duties for eternity. He’ll get work based conselling and rehab. and before you know it he’ll be driving your kids home from school.

I’d assume the guy will be suspended without pay until his court hearing then sacked as he will have lost his essential qualification for his job.

grunge_hippy said :

he was probably bracing himself for the run to pick up the causeway kids.

Or St Edmunds.

he was probably bracing himself for the run to pick up the causeway kids.

ONLY 5 times over the limit, in a vehicle that’s about five times the size of a car, and carries about ten times the number of people. Get him some help before he kills someone.

Amazing.

I was once the last person on the bus and was sitting in the front of the back half as I watched the driver look at me in the mirror, then reach down and pull out a beer which he then proceeded to take sips from as he concluded the journey.