Driver with overloaded bus suspended from driving, conductor charged

The driver and conductor of a route 42 minibus appeared at the Providence Magistrate’s Court this morning charged with a number of offences after a video of them overloading the vehicle with school children went viral on social media.

The driver, 38-year-old Leon Jaggernaught of Laluni Highway and conductor Joshua Khan, 22, of 560 Golden Grove East Bank Demerara (EBD) were charged with overcrowding the front seat of the bus, Breach of Insurance, and overloading the minibus. T

The driver and conductor were both charged for being untidy and the conductor faced an additional charge for being unlicensed.

They pleaded guilty to all the charges; police said they were reprimanded, the untidy offence was discharged and fined a total of $70,000 on the other charges.

The driver has been suspended from driving for three months.

The video which was circulated on social media on June 06 indicated that 45 school children were in the minibus.

When they were arrested, the men told police that there were only 24 students in the bus. However, a look at the video clearly showed that “the children were packed like sardines,” the police said in a statement.