WMATA has taken a Metro train operator out of service after a rider photographed him using his iPhone on the job.
“It was pretty shocking,” said the woman who took the photo after boarding a Red Line train near Grosvenor-Strathmore Monday.
The woman, who didn't want to be identified, rides Metro three days a week. She said both of the operator’s hands were on his phone and off the train controls for “less than a minute.”
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Metro observers on Twitter said the photo shows the train traveling at 53 miles per hour.
“It was very unprofessional behavior,” the woman told WUSA9.
WMATA has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to employees using electronic devices while operating Metro trains or buses.
“We want to thank the customer who reported this incident to us earlier today,” said a WMATA spokesperson. “Any employee found in violation of the policy is subject to termination on the first offense.”
The woman who took the photo said she immediately submitted a complaint through WMATA’s website.
“I don't want people to lose their jobs so close to the holidays," she said. “But if Metro isn't demonstrating that this isn't acceptable then we're going to continue to have safety issues.”
