Boston Area News

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Even the worst Boston drivers know there are consequences for failing to obey the rules of the road. But what about MBTA bus drivers? The I-Team caught bus drivers repeatedly breaking the law. The "T" also gets hundreds of complaints about dangerous driving every year.

BIKERS BEWARE

Two of those complaints came from Gabrielle Collins, an avid cyclist who commutes to work from Somerville to Brookline every day on her bike. Twice she had run-ins with the 66 bus at the same busy intersection in Allston, the corner of Cambridge Street and Harvard Ave. "The bus just starts off and goes through the red light," Gabrielle explained. "I had to turn off really hard and dodge it," she said, jerking her handlebars to one side to demonstrate. "I was just very angry that they could be so careless with other people's lives," she said.

The I-Team took to the streets and found several cases where instead of stopping at a red light, MBTA bus drivers hit the gas. Outside the Lechmere T stop in Cambridge, our cameras caught bus after bus running the red light. In the course of a couple of hours, we saw seven buses breaking the law.

We took our video to MBTA Operations Manger Jim Folk. "It's not acceptable to the MBTA," he said. "All of our operators should be making sure that they comply with all traffic regulations. But many don't. The MBTA logged more than 1,100 safety complaints in the past 14 months, everything from running through stop signs, aggressive driving and running red lights.

RUNNING RED LIGHTS

The I-Team obtained actual surveillance video from inside an MBTA bus. You can see the driver of the 66 bus sailing right through the red light at the same intersection that Gabrielle complained about. If you look closely, you can see Gabrielle waiting to pedal through her green light. "It was coming 30 miles per hour and it tooted the horn to let me know it wasn't going to stop in any way, shape or form," she said.

The MBTA used that surveillance tape to discipline the driver, who got a three-day suspension. Jim Folk told the I-Team drivers essentially get three strikes and they are out. After the first strike they go in for retraining at a state-of-the-art facility near the Sullivan Square T station. Drivers get behind the wheel of a computer-game like simulator that puts them through any number of different scenarios they might face on the road. The computer then allows instructors to point out where the drive went wrong.

MBTA bus drivers make 4.5 million trips every year and according to Folk, the number of complaints is relatively small. "In a year, an operator travels about 12,000 plus miles. That's one accident or incident every seven years," he said.

Gabrielle Collins just wants to feel safe on her daily commute. "You really shouldn't be running red lights. You shouldn't be endangering pedestrians, other cyclists, or other drivers. It just shouldn't happen," she said.

MBTA TAKING ACTION

Jim Folk said his office would investigate what the I-Team found. He said they would try to identify the drivers we caught and discipline them, if necessary.

Folk also said that the MBTA spends hundreds of man hours secretly watching some of the busiest intersections to catch unsafe drivers. They also rely on riders, so if you see something, speak up.

To report unsafe drivers call the MBTA at 617-222-3200.

Make sure you have the bus number, the date and time of the incident. Folk says every call will be investigated.

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