A local bus driver has been fired after a five-year-old girl with special needs was left alone on a school bus on Monday.
London, Ont., mother Jacqueline Petricca says her daughter Bianca Gallant rides a short bus to school that carries no more than three students at a time.
Gallant’s stop is about six feet from their home and she’s typically dropped off after school by the bus at around 4:10 p.m.
When 10 minutes had passed and Gallant was nowhere to be found, Petricca says she was worried, but figured there may have been an innocent reason behind the delay, such as the bus getting stuck behind a train.
When 20 minutes had passed, panic set in.
“My worst nightmare came true. Dinner was on the table and my child didn’t get off the bus,” Petricca told Global News.
This prompted a call to Murphy Bus Lines, the bus carrier responsible for transporting Gallant, as well as the London Police Service.
Petricca says three police officers were at her door “within three to five minutes of hanging up with 911 dispatch.”
At 5:45 p.m., Gallant was found on-board a parked bus by police and Murphy Bus Lines.
“She was essentially missing from 4:10 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., alone in a dark bus and in a location she didn’t know,” Petricca said.
“When I reunited with her, she didn’t want to get out of my arms.”
Murphy Bus Lines vice-president Rob Murphy says the child was found thanks to GPS tracking of the bus she was riding.
He says the driver’s actions were in direct violation of the business’ policies and procedures, which require drivers to do a double-check of the bus before exiting, along with radioing dispatch to give the all-clear.
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“The driver has been terminated from our firm and we are sending out reminders to all our drivers,” Murphy said.
“We transport thousands of kids in the local area daily. Our main concern is making sure the kids get to and from school safely. I want to make sure all of our employees understand that all vehicles must be checked after students exit the vehicle.”
While police were involved, a spokesperson told Global News no charges were laid in the incident.
“The child was located safe. There was nothing to suggest that anything criminal had taken place in relation to this investigation,” wrote Const. Sandasha Bough in an email.
Petricca says her daughter was left in a state of shock on Monday evening after she was found.
A child who “hops, jumps, squeals, plays constantly,” Petricca says the young girl was instead, “sombre, stayed on the couch and just watched TV.”
“She was unable to sleep on her own, she slept in my bed and woke up several times in the night with nightmares and muttering in her sleep about what happened,” Petricca added.
Gallant also developed hives on Monday evening, the result of an autoimmune disorder that will show physical symptoms when the young girl is in stressful situations.
While she’s grateful things didn’t turn out worse, Petricca now wants more checks in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again for other children like Gallant.
One suggestion includes what’s called a Child Check-Mate System, a button that sits at the back of the bus which must be pressed before a driver disembarks. If the button isn’t pressed, the system will trigger an alarm.
These systems, produced by Canadian company Child Check-Mate System Inc., also use motion detection technology which scans a bus after-hours for potential passengers left behind.
Petricca says she would also like to see a non-driving staff member aboard buses carrying students with special needs in order to provide any additional support that may be required.
“I’m really, really wondering, as a parent with special needs children, why are our most vulnerable children not having access to these safety measures,” Petricca said.
Petricca added that her family forgives the driver who her left child behind.
“If he’s worried about her … she’s safe and with her parents now.”
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