A 12-year-old boy was left literally “hanging” outside a bus, with only his backpack and an arm inside the vehicle, which in the meantime continued its journey for about 350 meters. The scene was recorded by video surveillance cameras on a residential street in Wheelers Hill, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, with the young man’s mother posting the footage on social media, accusing the Ventura transport company of negligence.
The viral video on social media
The episode dates back to March, but the images were only released in the last few days, immediately becoming viral. The bus, as told by the woman, continued its journey to the next stop, where the doors opened again, allowing the 12-year-old to free himself.
An apology from the company
A spokesperson for Ventura told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the bus driver had been sacked following an internal investigation: “This is a very unfortunate incident and we will continue to provide support to the passenger and his family. The safety of our passengers is our priority. We have reiterated our safety protocols to all drivers and will be undertaking a review to improve training programmes.”
Prime Minister Jacinta Allan also commented on the story: “Every parent wants to be sure that their child arrives at school safe and sound, and that footage was a truly shocking episode. My thoughts go out to that little boy, to his family.”