Amid bus fires, spontaneously combusting buses, and bus collisions, Chengdu residents are voicing growing concerns over bus safety. The latest bus-buster is a netizen who posted photos of a public-bus driver who drives with his seat tilted way back. Apparently this netizen missed the whole lowrider trend.

From the Tianfu Morning News via SC TV (our translation):

Passenger exposes bus driver's irresponsible reclining driving style

A passenger took this image of a bus driver operating a public bus with eyes upward and body lying down. The passenger believes this is an irresponsible way to drive a bus; the bus operators have said they will call for an investigation.

Imagine for a moment, you're in a reclining position, face up, your upper body forming a 125 degree angle with your thighs. Would you dare to drive like this? On September 4, Chengdu resident Mr. Liu was on a public bus when he saw such a driver. "This is irresponsible and is an enormous threat to the safety of passengers." The startled Mr. Liu used his cell phone to record a video of the scene before his eyes. Yesterday (the 6th), a spokesperson for the bus company involved in the case said that this type of conduct on the part of the driver is in violation of company policies. If it is found after investigation that the driver is indeed an employee of the company, procedures will be carried out.

City resident Mr. Liu explained that at around 10 a.m. on September 4, he got on the bus at the Qingyang Boulevard Intersection stop. Just after he had sat down on the first row of seats on the right-hand side, Mr. Liu stared at what was going on just in front of him: The driver was in a reclined position, his upper body forming a 125-degree angle with his thighs. Five minutes later, the bus pulled up to the next stop, and the driver finally sat up straight to step on the brakes. Just as Mr. Liu let out a sigh of relief, the driver again started to move, little by little resuming his reclining position. "The passengers behind me were also paying attention to the driver's movements, a few women were whispering to each other that they should just get off at the next stop, before the stop they originally planned to get off." Mr. Liu indignantly said that driving in a reclining position would greatly reduce the driver's range of vision, and that this is irresponsible and an enormous threat to the safety of passengers.

The reporter watched the 56-second video Mr. Liu recorded. On the screen, the driver's seat back is tilted back very low, and he uses a large cushion to elevate himself. The driver is wearing glasses and a light-blue shirt, and his body is firmly pressed against the seat back and two hands straight on the wheel. Ten seconds into the video, the driver leans forward and extends his right hand, then falls back into the reclining position. When the bus arrives at the stop, the driver again straightens up, steps on the brakes, and opens the door. After all the passengers have gotten on the bus, he immediately bonds again with the seat back as if it's family. By the end of the video, the driver still has not changed his position.

In light of Mr. Liu's actions, the reporter contacted the bus-operating company in question. "Impossible, we would be very surprised to find a driver operating a bus in such a manner!" The company's spokesperson said he had watched the video twice: "I was completely shocked. For a driver to operate a vehicle in this way is clearly against our regulations." He told the reporter that when a driver is seated upright, he can see the entire area in front of and surrounding the bus. If the driver is not sitting upright, the range of his vision will be altered, obstructing his field of vision. "Right now, if there were a child, pet, or any other relatively small object in front of the bus, the driver probably wouldn't be able to see it. Regardless of whether we're talking about pedestrians outside the bus or passengers on the bus, there's a big safety concern."

The spokesperson said that from the video it's impossible to view the driver's face clearly. The video also does not provide indefinite proof of the bus's line number. Additionally, all drivers wear the same color shirts, nor can the model of the vehicle be deduced from the engine cover since none are unique to any of Chengdu's public-transportation companies. The spokesperson said that although the bits of information in the video offer no way to verify the driver's identity, the company will nonetheless notify all drivers of this matter and carry out an investigation. "If it's found that there has been a violation of the regulations, necessary procedures will follow."

As of this posting, 3774 QQ readers said that after reading this story they felt angry. Another 213 said they felt bored, and 199 thought it was funny.

QQ has also posted a collection of bus drivers engaging in other bad behavior, including reading while driving, more reclining, and flirting with passengers as well as one badly behaved passenger who got on the bus but forgot his shirt.

Images: reclining chair and screen capture

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