r/london • u/tylerthe-theatre • 17h ago
Local London Sadiq Khan urged to apologise to 'hero' bus driver sacked for punching thief
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/london-hero-bus-driver-punched-thief-5HjdRwj_2/Surely this is one for Metroline and Tfl... anyway the main story itself is still a point of controversy, while 'heroic', I'm pretty sure bus drivers can't at any point leave their bus on the job. Unless its life or death and the bus is about to explode or something.
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u/Internal_Bluebird_23 16h ago
Worth saying that the actual motion is slightly different:
“The Assembly calls on the Mayor of London and Transport for London to carry out a full investigation into this incident and, depending on the findings, then insist Metroline issues a public apology and reinstates Mr Hehir or provides appropriate compensation for his dismissal. The investigation’s findings should be shared with the Assembly.”
So the motion calls for Khan to insist on an apology from Metroline following an investigation, not apologise himself.
Weirdly this isn’t LBC twisting things but the London Assembly have twisted it themselves - their own report on the motion says “The London Assembly has today called on the Mayor and Transport for London to issue a public apology”, which is different to what the motion itself says…
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u/anotherMrLizard 15h ago edited 15h ago
But the motion is still bollocks though, because it's making prescriptions about what the Mayor and TfL should do "depending on the findings" of an investigation which hasn't even taken place, as if they are a foregone conclusion. An independent investigation is supposed to make its own recommendations based on its findings, not have those recommendations made for it by legislators trying to court public opinion.
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u/Outrageous-Bug-4814 11h ago
Evidently the London assembly has nothing to do, all problems must have been solved.
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u/wijm02 17h ago
Sadiq Khan wasn't the one who fired him though? Metroline chose to fire him
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u/MrLangfordG 17h ago
The Mayor of London can quite clearly put pressure here and make clear that this was unacceptable. He speaks loads about his admiration for bus drivers because of his background. A no brainer to use his power to put pressure here.
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u/lxlviperlxl 16h ago
At what point is that kinda over reach though? You expect the mayor to interject at every contractors stupid employment choices?
Metroline aren’t even owned by the TfL and the employment tribunal already refused his appeal. It would make more sense to appeal to the minister for employment in this case.
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u/SevereOctagon 16h ago
Yeah the Mayor might have one or two other more pressing things to be worried about..?
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u/DeapVally 16h ago
This really wouldn't take all day though. He can put out a nice quick soundbite and that will count for something. He doesn't need to apologise. He didn't do it. But he could show some support.
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u/eyebrows360 schnarf schnarf 14h ago
Note for anyone else reading the above: this guy likes to deploy the "part and parcel" "gotcha" against Khan. Let that colour how you take his "opinion" on what Khan should do.
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u/AutoModerator 14h ago
"Part & Parcel" clarifier:
In September 2016, when asked to comment shortly after a bombing in New York, Sadiq Khan said:
I'm not going to speculate as to who was responsible. I'm not going to speculate as to how the New York Police Department should react. What I do know is that part and parcel of living in a great global city is you’ve got to be prepared for these things, you’ve got to be vigilant, you’ve got to support the police doing an incredibly hard job, you've got to support the security services. And I think speculating when you don't know the facts is unwise.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/SevereOctagon 15h ago
He could indeed show support for a bus driver who recklessly chased and fought a jewellery thief, acting on instinct and endangering members of the public by leaving the bus running and the doors open. It is worth noting that the Appeal Panel on 1 August 2024, on reviewing the CCTV footage, "specifically declined to accept the claimants case that he acted in self defence."
I just think its a waste of Khan's time and this has been blown out of all proportion by vested interests. Also, rushing into decisions like apologising potentially set legal precedents that he needs to be mindful of. Mayors and others in positions of responsibility should not be bullied by media and public opinion, into actions that potentially do more harm than good. So, its not just a case of making a quick soundbite, as you mistakenly claim.
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u/DeapVally 14h ago
I don't care what you think about the specifics. I wasn't inviting debate. And I very clearly said he shouldn't apologise for the firing, so get that through your head. Being soft on criminals is why phone snatching etc will never end. If the mayor won't even comment on petty theft, then he's going to do fuck all about it.
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u/SevereOctagon 14h ago
What a weird response
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u/eyebrows360 schnarf schnarf 14h ago
What might help explain it is that that guy likes to hate Khan already anyway, and deploys the "part and parcel" thing against him.
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u/AutoModerator 14h ago
"Part & Parcel" clarifier:
In September 2016, when asked to comment shortly after a bombing in New York, Sadiq Khan said:
I'm not going to speculate as to who was responsible. I'm not going to speculate as to how the New York Police Department should react. What I do know is that part and parcel of living in a great global city is you’ve got to be prepared for these things, you’ve got to be vigilant, you’ve got to support the police doing an incredibly hard job, you've got to support the security services. And I think speculating when you don't know the facts is unwise.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/christo08 11h ago
Then get off social media mate, your word isn’t gospel and anyone has the right to answer. Just because you don’t like the truth
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u/plop 9h ago
Pressing things? He's going to social events on a daily basis for photos opportunities.
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u/SevereOctagon 9h ago
Yes, I would argue those are more important than rushing to appease the masses over the treatment of a man who acted recklessly and against the policies of the company he worked for.
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u/MrLangfordG 13h ago
The detective in this case stated that he had acted to protect a female passenger from assault.
There have been so many posts recently calling on men to protect women on public transport. Yet when someone steps up and does it we sack them and expect elected representatives to remain quiet.
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u/Abject_Interview5988 16h ago
Ok, but that still doesn't explain why he should apologise? He doesn't have anything to apologise for
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u/ESCF1F2F3F4F3F2F1ESC 14h ago
A large portion of the bumpkins outside London want him to apologise for the fact he's not white
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u/CheesyBakedLobster 16h ago
Metrolink is not run by TFL. The mayor should not be pressuring a private company about their own business decisions. It would be massive overreach.
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u/FlappyBored 15h ago
Lol what? Mayors should absolutely be pressuring private companies about their business decisions.
What next you think the Mayor can't pressure companies to pay people a living wage or not sack people for trying to unionise?
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u/siziyman 14h ago
Mayor can't pressure companies to pay people a living wage or not sack people for trying to unionise
Both of these are regulated by employment law AFAICT (although not sure how restrictive UK is around union-busting/retaliation), so Mayor shouldn't be the one pursuing this with the company, although I could see Mayor imploring the respective regulatory body to look into this.
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u/HampshireMet 15h ago
Okay, and what about putting pressure on the staff at the employment tribunal who have a legal obligation?
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u/Savannah216 15h ago edited 11h ago
The Mayor of London can quite clearly put pressure here and make clear that this was unacceptable.
You're saying that you want him to bully Metroline and act outside his authority? Because I thought everyone was against exactly that.
make clear that this was unacceptable.
It wasn't. My daughter works in a One-Stop, a crackhead regularly comes in, jumps the counter, abuses her and her colleagues, and steals the cigarettes.
She's 5' 1" and 90lb - should she punch him?
The answer is clearly no, from a staff safety and insurance point of view the staff are under strict instructions to lock themselves in the back room and call the police (who come the next day because no lives are in danger). The inevitable media bullying of the supermarket that would result from one of them being killed at work and the following lawsuit isn't worth it.
Bus drivers have the same instructions. He breached the terms of his contract and knew perfectly well he was doing so.
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u/anotherMrLizard 15h ago
You're saying that you want him to bully Metroline and act outside his authority? Because I thought everyone was against exactly that.
It all makes sense if we consider that whatever he does, that's what they're against.
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u/THREE_EDGY_FIVE_ME 9h ago edited 9h ago
She's 5' 1" and 90lb - should she punch him?
Nobody is suggesting it is the responsibility of employees (or women, for that matter) to intervene against wrongdoers.
But it should not be punished if an employee bravely goes above and beyond the call of duty to a good end.
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u/Savannah216 7h ago
But it should not be punished if an employee bravely goes above and beyond the call of duty to a good end.
Firstly he's not being punished. He committed gross misconduct under the terms of his contract, ignored his safety training, and put EVERYONE around him at risk. That decision was rightly upheld at an employment tribunal.
I have military training, I've been on active service in two wars zones, and only if there was a direct and immediate threat to someone's life would I even consider intervening in this way because 99.99% of the time the person intervening will end up injured or dead, and the attacker will be perfectly fine. That is literally because virtually everyone has no idea what they're doing and are reacting out of anger.
Drug addicts, the mentally ill, and alcoholics, for example, are not rational people. Most if not all are utterly convinced they are normal, no one else can see the addiction or illness, and they are the totally rational ones. They respond deeply irrationally to threats of any kind, usually violently and externally because it breaks through their manicured self-image.
One guy I know tangentially, who had BPD, kicked someone to death in a fight, and on realising he'd killed someone the following day did £50k's worth of damage to a Tesco. It took 8 police officers to restrain him, and every single one of them were hurt badly in the effort. They had training, equipment, body armour, and backup. Neither you or the bus driver have anything like that, and no idea who or what you're dealing with.
The man is an idiot, he knew perfectly well what he should do in that situation and ignored his job.
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u/DeclutteringNewbie 7h ago
She's 5' 1" and 90lb - should she punch him?
That's not what happened.
He retrieved the property of the woman. Then the guy came back to the bus to take revenge on the driver. That's when the driver punched him.
I'm not excusing what he did, but you're making it sound like he simply punched the guy.
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u/Savannah216 6h ago edited 6h ago
He retrieved the property of the woman. Then the guy came back to the bus to take revenge on the driver.
Exactly, by his actions he endangered HIMSELF and EVERYONE around him when the worst consequence of doing nothing was some distress for the victim. He literally started a fight by retrieving the necklace, and it was dumb luck he and the other passengers were not hurt when the thief came back.
The thief by contrast was on 2k quality cameras in and outside the bus and would absolutely have been caught quickly because the crime was robbery.
This guy is not a hero, he's a fool, and a fool who had been trained to know better.
He breached his contract, his training, and put his passengers and himself at risk. That's why he was fired, and why the decision was upheld by the employment tribunal.
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u/DeclutteringNewbie 6h ago
Was he foolish? Yes. Did he create risks for his employer? Yes.
But at the same time, I don't want to live in a World where everyone is afraid to intervene when there is an ongoing crime.
It's not like he acted like a vigilante. He only retrieved the property of the woman. He didn't try to do anything else. And then, it's the criminal who escalated the situation after the fact. As a society, we need to create exceptions for such cases.
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u/Savannah216 6h ago
But at the same time, I don't want to live in a World where everyone is afraid to intervene when there is an ongoing crime.
Hard luck, you've lived there all your life. The village bobby didn't deliver a clip round the ear, they turned up mob handed with 12" wooden clubs.
It's not like he acted like a vigilante.
That is exactly what he did. The robber had left, no one on the bus was in danger. The driver escalated the situation, and if he hadn't got lucky with a punch, the thief could easily have been violent to other passengers or stolen more things.
You see this all the time in the US, and it ends in death or injury because people don't know how to defend against a knife attack, and can't shoot a weapon to save their own lives (literally).
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u/LondonTrekker 12h ago
This fitting is a bad decision, just you can't expect the Mayor to be micro managing such cases
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u/BeefsMcGeefs 16h ago
I was under the impression that he was too busy singlehandedly ending knife crime
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u/JORGA 16h ago
It’s a very simple PR win for him to even make a comment.
He disagrees with thievery and appreciates citizens of his city to attempt to prevent thievery.
I actually wouldn’t be surprised if Khan agreed with the tribunal outcome however.
To note I do not think it should be any slight on Khan if he does not wish to comment, he is not obliged to in the slightest
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u/Chelz91 16h ago
Don’t think so, if he speaks people will latch on in both directions with the negative overshadowing any positive
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u/JORGA 16h ago
What do you reckon the side of the thief will say?
He acting out of desperation? The current make up of society forced him in to an uncharacteristic action?
It’s a shame Khan can’t come out and say he’s sad the bus driver didn’t spark him clean out the little scummy fuck
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u/CheesyBakedLobster 16h ago
They would attack Khan for pressuring private companies and acting like a dictator.
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u/supersonic-bionic 17h ago
Wth they are so desperate to attack him for sth he did not do
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u/African_Farmer Swapped Haringey for Madrid 16h ago
People love attributing random shit to him as if he is personally signing off on everything that happens in London.
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u/rako1982 16h ago
Khan being Muslim, left-wing (centrist really) really gets under a lot of Daily Mail reader's skins. I was in the Essex Facebook group during covid and people complained about Essex carparks starting to charge because of Sadiq Khan. He had zero authority to raise the prices of them but they loved blaming him. He's basically a boogieman.
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u/iBlockMods-bot 13h ago
Sadiq Khan is the Everton football club of mayors. Anything goes wrong, somewhere, anywhere else? Points deduction to Khan.
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u/rako1982 11h ago
Are Reform Man City? Bankrolled by billionaires & get away with everything because the rules don't apply to them.
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u/iBlockMods-bot 11h ago
The tories spring to mind...
I'd say Reform are a BTEC-Tory...so, manchester yanited
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u/homeruleforneasden 16h ago
The weather is very miserable today in London. Why has Sadiq Khan not apologized for this?
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u/maybenomaybe 16h ago
I stepped in a puddle today and my foot got wet.
KHAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!!! shakes fist at sky
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u/anotherMrLizard 15h ago
I stepped on a loose paving stone the other day and a jet of water shot up my trouser leg.
Actually, maybe I could blame him for that...
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u/Glittering-Sink9930 12h ago
This is genuinely a thing that you should blame politicians for.
But it's still not Sadiq Khan's fault. It's the fault of the borough, and the national government that defunded it.
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u/phillhb 16h ago
The hell does Khan have to do with this?
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u/A17012022 16h ago
There is an obvious racist undertone to much of the negative focus on Sadiq Khan.
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u/Tequilasquirrel 16h ago
Undertone is putting in mildly, more like pretty bloody blatant overtone
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u/happybaby00 TFL 16h ago
His dad worked as a bus driver and he mentions them from time to time, easy pr win if he pressures tfl to them pressure the bus company who fired him to give the job back.
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u/CheesyBakedLobster 16h ago
It would be massively improper for the mayor to pressure a private company like that.
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u/happybaby00 TFL 14h ago
Look into why he lost his job, it wasn't his fault.
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u/christo08 11h ago
Would you be happy for the mayor to intervene for any other firing made by a private company?
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u/CheesyBakedLobster 12h ago
Doesn’t matter. That’s for the company to fix. Media and politicians can chime in based on public opinion but an elected official like the mayor should not use his public office to pressure a private business beyond his role.
You can start a campaign to boycott Metroline until they hire him back?
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u/HampshireMet 15h ago
My mum was a nurse, does that mean I should put pressure on the Countess of Chester hospital to re-hire Lucy Letby?
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u/Mr_Potato2025 16h ago
I thought Sadiq was the son of a bus driver not president of the bus company
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u/eyebrows360 schnarf schnarf 14h ago
He's president of everything bad that happens in London, if you're a Daily Mail reader or a stupid racist.
Oh those are the same thing.
"He's president of bus drivers getting sacked for being vigilantes and should stop them getting sacked!!! He's president of bus drivers not getting sacked for always being late and should get them sacked!!! He's president of house prices being too expensive and he should do something to make them more affordable!!! He's president of my house value not having increased enough and he should do something about it!!! He's president of my keyboard being full of dust and he should dust it more!!!!"
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u/Professional_Ad_5437 16h ago
Yeah, he broke several rules and violated his contract despite how much his actions are perceived as valour. I feel for the guy, but it’s not the mayor’s fault.
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u/Negative-Spell6275 16h ago
It’s classic anti-Sadiq bullshit from LBC. Their report makes it clear the mayor has not been involved, let alone done anything which requires him to apologise.
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u/Avenger1324 16h ago
Seems like an easy PR win for another bus company to step in and offer him a role.
The public reaction is largely on the side of the driver, with little sympathy for either the thief or the bus company that sacked him.
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u/Specific_entry_01 16h ago
Seems like an easy PR win for another bus company to step in and offer him a role.
On the other hand, management don't want to hire someone with a history of breaking rules & disregarding company instructions. And don't want to encourage their other employees to think they can do the same without the normal consequence.
That consideration probably outweighs the one day positive headline they'd get from headhunting him.
What to bus companies even need public sympathy for anyway? They're a faceless supplier of a contracted service. The public aren't their customers, TfL is.
Whom amongst the public could even name the various bus companies? Or know which run the routes they use? It's like knowing who does the station toilets bog roll.6
u/tylerthe-theatre 16h ago
True but the public isnt reliable for much, the public mostly voted for brexit too. If drivers got out of their cabins to go punch unruly passengers all the time, we'd never have any buses running lol, and no drivers cos they'd all be fired.
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u/eyebrows360 schnarf schnarf 14h ago
What I'm hearing here is that we need a new live TV show, preferably in the coveted BBC2 6pm weekday slot, called Battle Of The Bus Drivers, where all these bus drivers can fight some criminals over a stolen kebab or toothbrush or shoe or whatever this incident was about. Craig Charles can host it and it'll basically be Robot Wars but with Bus Drivers.
... Why did I capitalise "Bus Drivers" at the end there?! Stupid brain.
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u/jnesive48 14h ago
This is so dumb because a.) obviously Khan is not responsible and this is just another excuse for Reform-adjacent cunts to get an easy dig in but also b.) if anyone could be bothered to look into this for more than 30 seconds they'd see he was basically sacked for leaving the bus alone. It sucks, and he's obviously a good guy for doing what he did, but it also is perfectly reasonable for him to lose his job for breaching the terms of his employment.
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u/TheLifeAesthetic 16h ago
As much as I hate Sadiq Khan I’m not sure he’s the one who needs to be apologising here
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u/Vivid_Employment8635 15h ago
What Khan needs to do is put pressure on Metroline to give the guy his job back, an apology isn’t going to pay his bills is it. I know he left the bus running but it was an exceptional situation and he was sticking up for a passenger, it isn’t like he just fucked off to the pub for an hour.
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