Bus driver suspended after insisting his passengers join him in prayer

A bus driver in Atlanta is suspended for asking his passengers to pray with him

A bus driver in Atlanta in the United States has been suspended from his job for insisting that the passengers onboard his service join him in prayer. Leroy Matthews, who has been a driver with Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) for 6 years, has been issued with a 5 day suspension after several passengers complained about the driver’s behaviour.

The experienced bus driver is said to have suddenly pulled his vehicle off the road at approximately 7:30pm last Tuesday. When one of the passengers, Christopher James, approached the exit to disembark the bus the doors remained closed. When Mr James asked the driver why the doors weren’t opening, Mr Matthews stood up in his seat and addressed the 3 other passengers who were attempting to leave the bus, and invited them to all hold hands and join him in prayer.

One report claimed that Mr Matthews even went as far as blocking the bus doors to prevent one passenger from leaving the vehicle. The incident inconvenienced many of the individuals onboard as the vehicle didn’t move for almost 5 minutes whilst Mr Matthews conducted his impromptu prayer session.

No details have been released as to why the bus driver insisted upon praying in the middle of a shift or what the prayer was in aid of. It is not known whether or not Mr Matthews has behaved in this way before.