The state Department of Labor and Industries fined King County Metro in Washington State $3,500 for failing to provide bus drivers with unrestricted access to restrooms, according to The New York Daily News.
The citation said Metro "did not provide transit operators with unrestricted access to bathroom facilities when needed to relieve themselves," according to the Daily News.
The citation states that King County Metro, the nation's seventh-largest public bus agency, operates about 200 bus routes in Seattle and around the county, SeattleTimes.com reported.
The citation also says the Metro's porta-potty at Othello Station has lacked paper towels, soap and running water for six years, and some of the drivers' designated restrooms aren't open all the hours that buses run, leaving the drivers with no place to go, according to SeattleTimes.com.
The drivers are provided with lists of where the restrooms are, but Church said some of the facilities were too far from their routes to use, SeattleTimes.com reported.
Both male and female drivers told investigators they have had to use coffee cups and bottles to relieve themselves because they felt pressure to stick to their scheduled routes, and not stop to use the bathroom, the Daily News reported.
In a written statement Friday, Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond acknowledged the problem, saying "We take this basic need seriously," and promised to fix it, SeattleTimes.com reported.
Desmond also said that bus drivers have the right to stop to use a restroom, adding that the agency will try to find more restrooms for drivers to use along their routes, according to SeattleTimes.com.
"We are creating an action plan to identify gaps within this network and work to fill those gaps by identifying locations and creating agreements for use of restroom facilities," Desmond said, according to SeattleTimes.com. "A Metro staff person will ensure the ongoing availability of restrooms along all of our routes and will work directly with operators to make sure their needs are met."
