Calgary Transit driver who refused to drive Pride bus claims he was fired
CALGARY – A Calgary Transit bus driver who said he’d quit before driving the city’s rainbow-coloured “Pride Bus” claims he has been fired.
Jesse Rau said in a statement via Street Church pastor Artur Pawlowski that he was left go on Thursday after being “grilled for five hours” during a “special meeting.”
Rau said Calgary Transit cited two things when they let him go, but claims “none of their concerns related to [his] work.”
Rau had refused to drive the city’s Pride Bus because he said as a Christian, he couldn’t condone the behaviours and lifestyles associated with Pride.
A Calgary Transit spokesperson declined to comment on what he described as “personnel matters.” Director Doug Morgan said he couldn’t talk about any specific employee issues.
“We do have a code of conduct that helps guide our behaviour and we expect all employees to follow that code of conduct,” said Morgan. “We need to make sure that [transit drivers] operate appropriately and deliver great service to Calgarians.”
“If there was a violation–and again I can’t speak on a specific incident–we would take action and have a discussion with employees and see what happened, and investigate and then take action if those policies were breached.”
Rau presented the below letter of termination of employment to reporters Friday afternoon: