JUNE 13, 2015
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
The Chicago Transit Authority plans to beef up its driver training following a recent pedestrian death.
Fifty-one-year-old Aimee Coath of Flossmoor died after being struck by a bus that initially stopped at a Michigan Avenue red light but then went through the signal. The bus hit several vehicles during the evening rush hour on June 2.
The 48-year-old driver had worked nine months for the CTA. He was issued two traffic citations by police.
Transit Authority President Dorval Carter Jr. told the Chicago Tribune that the current five-week training program for newly hired drivers will be expanded by one week.
New drivers work part-time and are assigned the most difficult routes because of seniority rules. Many work split shifts in the mornings and evenings, with lengthy breaks in between.