According to reports, senior staff at a bus company reportedly dismissed a driver following his allegations of “extremely hazardous” transportation. The management is said to have planned a “self-imposed removal” of the immigrant employee by arranging a return flight for him and intenting to accompany him to the airport.
At the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) hearing on Wednesday, the driver, Nico Holloway, revealed that his commuters were once left startled last winter when a bus door suddenly unlatched on the M7 expressway. He was then instructed to shut the door and continue his journey.
He alleges that between October 2023 to January 2024, there were several reported “imperfections” in the buses he was operating on intercity routes. These deficiencies include a fractured windscreen, faulty wipers, power steering complications, seat belt issues, tyre problems and secondary brake system failures.
In his testimony at the tribunal, Mr Holloway stated, “They simply ask you to operate the bus in its current state.”
Citi Bus Ltd, operating under the brand name Dublin Coach, has strongly denied the allegations made by their former employee, Nico Holloway, who hails from South Africa. They stated that Holloway’s probation was deemed unsatisfactory and that he had been exploring the idea of a collective walkout with other drivers.
Setanta Landers, legal representative for Mr Holloway, argued that his client’s worries were “either not properly handled, or brushed off”. The company’s response, he described as “unbelievably shocking”, constituting “serious punishment of a vulnerable migrant employee”.
Disputing Holloway’s account, Ray Ryan, who represented Citi Bus, argued, “Mr Holloway purports to have made protected disclosures. That is something we wholeheartedly reject”. He dismissed the accusations as “completely unfounded” and “absolutely devoid of veracity”.
The panel was informed that Mr Holloway was one among several South African males recruited for roles at the firm in September 2023. He had formerly served as a lorry driver in his home nation of South Africa. He claimed to have been offered a weekly salary of €613 upon his arrival, with all necessities, including accommodation, taken care of. He mentioned sharing a canteen and living quarters in a former office building, close to their station, with over 20 of his colleagues, with just four showers available to them all.
Mr Holloway reported that he started to express concerns regarding the state of the vehicles after he had finished training and began working in mid-October that year. In his own words, “My personal view is that it’s not my life on the line, but that of the public”, expressing concern over the numerous defects prevalent on the buses.
Part of Mr Holloway’s responsibilities included completing a ‘walkaround’ of the vehicles prior to driving, and reporting any discernible issues. He mentioned reporting various problems with several vehicles, including hearing unusual noises from a coach’s power steering, doors that wouldn’t shut securely, malfunctioning seat belts and warning lights appearing on the dashboard.
Mr Holloway shared an incident with the WRC wherein a bus door “burst open” while he was driving on the M7 in December. He recalled pulling over and contacting the duty manager, who simply instructed him to “Just shut the door and carry on”. He stated that he had been required to manually pull the door shut.
Another incident he recounted occurred while he was driving from Dublin Airport to the Red Cow during rainfall. He discovered that the windscreen wipers were “interlocking” thus, failing to wipe away the rainwater. He labeled the bus as “very unsafe to drive” due to non-functional seat belts, steering issues and a dysfunctional door that allowed wind and water inside.
He revealed receiving one bus in December 2023 that had a door “strapped closed with a ratchet tie and marking tape”, with his counsel, Mr Landers presenting a picture taken by his client as evidence. When Mr Landers enquired as to who had set up that makeshift closure, Mr Holloway replied, “It was like that when I received the bus”.
When quizzed about whether the company had made efforts to rectify what he had highlighted, Mr Holloway said, “No measures were taken in response.” He stated that a dismissal letter was served to him on the 5th of January, 2024, and was informed that his performance had been deemed unsatisfactory by the company.
Mr Landers disclosed that a certain manager at Citi Bus had personally arranged an immediate expulsion of the plaintiff from Ireland after his termination, by purchasing a flight ticket to Cape Town for him. He stated further that his office communicated with the employer on the same day, asserting that they didn’t hold the authority to implement such an “autocratic expulsion”.
During the cross-questioning by Ray Ryan, the respondent’s counsel, Mr Holloway shared that he had discussed collectively addressing the issues with five or six other drivers. “Everyone was agreeable initially, as I mentioned. In the end, it was only me standing,” he said.
Mr Ryan suggested to Mr Holloway that his collective discussions with colleagues had influenced the company’s decision to terminate him, a notion Mr Holloway refuted. “I can’t agree to that. The company laid me off because I reported certain faults,” he contested.
Mr Ryan proposed that the company’s buses travelling possibly up to a thousand kilometres a day would inevitably lead to wear and tear, to which Mr Holloway retorted, “Regular maintenance comes with wear and tear.”
The hearing was halted overnight after another former driver at the company, Lukas Badenhorst, testified. The matter is set to carry on on Thursday, with a currently serving driver at Citi Bus, Mark Mayer, due to testify before the respondent presents its defence.