York Regional Police spokesman constable Andy Pattenden thought he had seen it all when comes to accusations of impaired driving. But this is new.
A woman is facing accusations of driving her school bus drunk in Markham with at least 20 kids onboard.
It allegedly happened just before 4 p.m on Tuesday. Police say they got a call from a driver reporting that their car had been hit by a school bus near Warden Ave and Hwy 407 and that the bus kept bumping in the car.
No one was hurt in the crash including the students from Bill Crothers Secondary School who attend classes in August.
Speaking with the school bus driver at the scene, responding officers noticed signs of alcohol impairment. They brought her to a police station where she refused to provide a breath sample.
A 54-year-old woman from Georgina is charged with dangerous operation of motor vehicle and failing to provide a breath sample. Pattenden says York Regional Police's current practice is not publicly disclose the names of alleged impaired drivers.
"With back to school just around the corner we should be talking about...road safety and students coming back to school and being careful in school zones. Instead, here we are today talking about a school bus driver now charged with impaired driving," Pattenden tells NEWSTALK 1010.
The bus company, Stock Transportation released the following statement to NEWSTALK 1010:
The safety of the students we transport is our top priority. Without exception, our drivers are required to abide by our company drug and alcohol policy. The driver has been immediately terminated and will be ineligible for future hire by our Company.