Milwaukee County fatal bus crash, union calls out MCTS

A former Milwaukee County Transit System bus driver was charged in a Christmas crash that killed one man and injured another. Now, a Wisconsin transit workers' union is calling out MCTS and demanding changes.

Christmas bus crash

The backstory:

Prosecutors said 52-year-old bus driver Montrell Pharm appeared to be falling asleep at the wheel and crashed into parked vehicles and two people near 47th and Villard on Dec. 25, 2024.

Court filings said surveillance video from inside the bus appeared to show Pharm sleeping or with his eyes closed as the bus was both stopped and in motion. Pharm told investigators he had worked 14-hours shifts since Dec. 22 with one 8 ½-hour shift in between.

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Criminal complaint filed against Montrell Pharm

Union calls out MCTS

What they're saying:

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998, which said it has more than 1,200 members in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Kenosha and Sheboygan, pointed to "driver fatigue rooted in poor working conditions."

In a statement Tuesday, ATU Local 998 President Bruce Freeman wrote:

"We take the safety of passengers, pedestrians, and our operators seriously, and our hearts go out to the families impacted by the Christmas Day incident.

"It is time for MCTS to address driver fatigue in a meaningful way. No amount of MCTS ‘Emotional Wellness Training’ will make up for the fact that MCTS is complicit in the poor working conditions that exacerbate dangerous driver fatigue.

"Driver fatigue is rooted in poor working conditions, understaffing, and forced overtime. Many drivers pick up extra shifts to make ends meet due to staffing issues. If our drivers don't work extra hours, many routes will go unfilled and leave passengers stranded.

"Transit workers will not be the scapegoats for MCTS's failures to ensure safe working conditions and schedules. We call on MCTS to take meaningful action to keep operators, passengers, and pedestrians safe."

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Related

Milwaukee County bus driver criminally charged in fatal crash

A Milwaukee County bus driver has been criminally charged following a crash on Christmas Day that left one person dead and another injured.

The other side:

FOX6 News reached out to MCTS for a response to the union's criticism on Wednesday. The transit system referred back to the following statement, which was issued on Monday:

We have been notified of the District Attorney’s charges against Montrell Pharm. All of us at MCTS offer our sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Clemons and his grandson, along with all their loved ones who are grieving and recovering from their loss. Mr. Pharm was discharged from MCTS shortly after this incident.

This tragic incident in no way reflects upon MCTS bus operators as a whole, who make a serious commitment to keeping Milwaukee County safe every day, and who are also deeply saddened and distressed by this event.

Because safety is our top priority, all bus operators are expected to report to work well-rested and fit for duty. If an operator experiences fatigue, they are trained and expected to report fatigue and take themselves off duty but unfortunately Mr. Pharm fell short of that expectation. 

According to Mr. Pharm’s official work record, his alleged statement regarding multiple 14-hour days leading up to the incident is inaccurate. The record indicates he was off work for three days, from December 20 through December 22. Leading up to his shift on December 25, Mr. Pharm had approximately nine hours of rest before working approximately 4 hours of voluntary overtime, followed by a 2-hour rest and he then worked part of his regularly scheduled shift.

As the complaint states, Mr. Pharm was involved in a prior incident in October. Following that prior incident, he was retrained, coached and issued a 3-day suspension. Beyond that additional training, the December 25 incident occurred less than a week after Mr. Pharm attended a highly specialized, three-day workshop addressing emotional wellness, including the importance of sleep and showing up for work well-rested.

We have a robust safety management program at MCTS that places passenger safety at the forefront:

  • Before they are hired, each new operator is tested to determine if they are fit to drive the bus.
  • All new operators attend our safety training program over the course of five weeks including units on managing driver fatigue, safety and security, safety policies, defensive driving skills, and our Code of Conduct.
  • Bus operators must sign several statements acknowledging that they read and understood the training they received, including driving while tired, safe driver behavior, hours of service, hazard perception, night operation, and driving in extreme weather conditions.
  • MCTS conducts random drug testing of all bus operators as required by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
  • Each bus is equipped with technology that alerts supervisors to signs of erratic driving.

Customers can report bus operators who are driving irregularly. A supervisor is then dispatched immediately to conduct a wellness check of the driver who will be taken off the bus if necessary.

We continuously evaluate our safety management program and will work to ensure that our operators provide the safest transit services possible. Our hearts go out to the families impacted by this tragedy. This incident should not reflect upon all of our bus operators. They are professionals who recognize that the safety of the community is paramount as they provide essential transit services, connecting our community to jobs, education and life.

The Source: Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office, Milwaukee County Transit System and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998.

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