Bonita Cousins is a 38-year-old bus driver with Perth informed of the situation by other passengers, and she got Metro Transit (PMT). She has been with PMT for 15 years, up and brought her son back to their seat. The evidence is is a good performer (her performance ratings have been clear that the boy did not touch the gear shift or gas/brake between 4.0 and 4.2 on a five-point scale over the past five pedals but merely sat in the bus driver's seat for a short years), and is well liked by both co-workers and her super- period of time. visor. She has only one previous disciplinary offence-a Bus drivers receive yearly training on safety issues written warning two years ago for being 18 minutes late. (including proper procedures to follow in the event a Last Friday. Bonita was driving her bus on her route on driver has to leave the bus). The employee handbook the outskirts of Perth. There were 24 passengers on the bus, states that "a bus driver should never leave his or her bus and as she drove along Kings Park Road, she observed a unattended. If you need to leave the bus, make sure that woman in her early twenties being attacked by a man in his the engine is turned off. you remove the key, you have late twenties. She immediately pulled the bus over to the passengers get off the bus, and you lock the bus. Failure side of the road. jumped out, and ran to assist the woman. to follow such procedures constitutes a serious breach of The incident occurred about 150 feet from where the bus the employment contract, and dismissal is an appropriate was parked. The assailant, upon seeing Cousins approach- remedy." ing. ran away into the park. Cousins accompanied the woman back to the bus, called the police for assistance, and DISCUSSION QUESTIONS contacted her supervisor. 1. Is there just cause to dismiss Bonita? Explain your In discussing the incident with her supervisor, Cousins admitted that the bus was idling and that the passenger doors were left open while she was in the park. 2. Would your response to question 1 be different if Bonita According to three passengers, an eight-year-old boy had left the bus unattended to rescue a cat stuck in a sitting three rows from the front of the bus got up and sat tree? An elderly person crossing the road? Justify your in the bus driver's seat while Cousins was away from the response. bus. The boy's mother was sending a text message when 3. What can PMT do to improve its safety practices and the boy went to the driver's seat. The mother was quickly policies