by FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – It’s been two weeks since MATBUS employees came to Valley News Live to voice their safety concerns, with two drivers saying they were sick from bus fumes and they had been out of work for months. Since then, employees have told us the broken-down bus is considering retirement.
“The bus is currently waiting. So, they are taking this seriously, but it took your reporting to get them to do it,” said a MATBUS employee.
In the previous story, the two drivers explained how they were hospitalized due to harmful chemicals or fumes coming from their bus. They alleged that MATBUS management was also not taking their health concerns seriously.
“It has been silent for two months now. Our boss didn’t even check on us once,” the two men said.
They had been out of work for months, but had already told us they hoped to return soon.
Since their October 14 post, another MATBUS employee has advised that the bus causing their pain is going to be taken out of service.
“They were maybe starting to come back but it was too slow. Once your story was published, they kicked into high gear and something was done immediately. Obviously it wasn’t ideal to have to do something, and it obviously wasn’t conducive to a safe working environment for anyone,” the employee explained.
After the buses were removed, employees say they are still concerned about other current safety practices at MATBUS.
One said incidents were not reported, communication was poor and staff complaints were rarely addressed.
They said: “It seems like it really takes a long time to change something, especially when it comes to security. »
Valley News Live first contacted MATBUS, who provided a statement regarding the odor issue, stating: “We have been made aware of complaints regarding the odor emanating from drivers employed by Transdev and an investigation is underway..”
We reached out again today, October 29, to address the new concerns, but have not yet received a response.
If you need help, you can contact our whistleblower hotline here.
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