In the wake of fatal transit accidents across the nation, the Maryland Transit Administration has adopted a zero-tolerance policy under which any bus or train operator found using a cell phone or text-messaging device on the job will be fired, even for a first offense.
The MTA took the action shortly after the Washington Metro system announced a similar change Thursday morning, scrapping a "three-strikes-and-you're-out" policy and vowing to fire violators outright.
Texting has been identified as a major factor in rail accidents - and 25 deaths - in California and Massachusetts during the past year. The Maryland and Washington systems, meanwhile, are investigating recent rail accidents that left a total of 11 people dead, including two teenage boys from Lutherville.
The decision by MTA Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld came about an hour after The Baltimore Sun inquired about his agency's policy in light of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Administration announcement. At first, the MTA said it was sticking by a policy that it "can" fire violators. Under the new policy, the MTA says it "will" fire operators who text or use cell phones while at the controls.
MTA spokeswoman Jawauna Greene said the agency will inform its operators' union of the change but will not bargain over it. "There is no negotiation when it comes to public safety," she said.
The policy will apply to all bus drivers, light rail and Metro subway operators and "any other functions that require critical attention to the task at hand," Greene said. It covers light rail fare inspectors, she said, but not MTA police.
The policy does not apply to MARC train engineers, who are Amtrak employees.
Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said Amtrak engineers are forbidden from using cell phones or texting devices except for emergencies. He said they may have cell phones with them in the cab but are required to keep them turned off. However, Black said, Amtrak's policy on violations is similar to the MTA's before Thursday: Dismissal is possible but not automatic.
Greene said that because the MTA and Washington Metro serve many of the same customers, it is important to maintain consistency in the agencies' safety policies. She said Wiedefeld had contacted Maryland's acting Transportation Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley and the office of Gov. Martin O'Malley and obtained their approval for the action.
