Bus driver lets monkey sit on steering wheel in a moving bus: Gets fired

Days ago, a video went viral. The video showed a monkey (Langur) sitting on the steering wheel of a moving Karnataka State Transport (KSRTC) with the driver happily egging the animal on. Others present in the bus were also heard encouraging the monkey, who almost gave the impression of steering the bus as the driver was taking control of the steering – on and off. Now, the KSRTC bus driver who let the Langur sit on the steering wheel of the moving vehicle carrying passengers has been removed off duty. Meanwhile, here is the video that shows the monkey sitting on the steering wheel of the moving KSRTC bus.

This monkey sat on the steering wheel and took over a K.S.R.T.C bus. WATCH this video to see what happened later. pic.twitter.com/43MTJuXnWN

— Mumbai Mirror (@MumbaiMirror) October 5, 2018

The bus driver in question, Prakash, belongs to the Davangere division of Karnataka State Road Transport Service  (KSRTC). The incident is said to have happened on the 1st of October, 2018, when the said bus was plying between  Davanagere and Bharamasagara.

Confirming the driver’s removal from roster, here is what a KSRTC official had to say,

We have removed the driver from duty and have asked the divisional security inspector to conduct an inquiry. He  won’t be assigned any further duty till the probe is completed; he could even be suspended.

Throwing more light into the incident, another KSRTC official from Davanagere said,

The Langur came with a teacher, who travels regularly in the bus. But it went and plonked itself on the driver’s  seat and refused to leave despite efforts by passengers to remove it from there. He (Prakash) is an animal lover but  should not have allowed this while driving a bus. The animal left the steering wheel after 2-3 minutes and alighted  at the next stop. There have been no complaints from passengers so far.

All said and done, it’s dangerous to allow an animal or any untrained person for that matter near the steering wheel  of a moving bus. The harmless looking stunt could have easily gone wrong, putting the lives of the passengers of the bus and also other road users at grave risk. It’s likely that the bus driver will be suspended after the inquiry,  setting a precedent for other drivers. Clearly, this driver took his love for animals a bit too far.

Via TOI