BUS DRIVER SEES RED IN POT HAZE, TRIGGERS FIRE EXTINGUISHER

The smell of pot and an "irrational" Vancouver bus driver turned the No. 20
Victoria into a bad trip on the weekend, says a passenger.

Dan Poulter, 23, said the driver "lost it" and doused passengers with a fire
extinguisher at 1 a.m. Saturday.

"Someone was smoking a joint when I got on at around Fifth Avenue and
Victoria," said Poulter. He said the driver came back and asked: "Uh, is
there a fire back here?"

Poulter said there was no fire, but the driver was in a funk and let loose
with "small blasts" from the extinguisher.

"That stuff burns your mouth," said Poulter. "People on the bus were hacking
and coughing. Everyone seemed pretty unhappy.

"Fire extinguishers are full of wonderful-sounding chemicals I don't want to
breathe.

"I think the driver lost it. It doesn't seem like a rational action. If
they're smoking pot, kick them off. If there's a fire, get people off the
bus."

The bus was emptied as transit supervisors, an ambulance and police showed
up.

No one was injured and a replacement bus arrived about 40 minutes later.

Transit spokesman Doug McDonald said disciplinary action could be taken if
warranted, but there are two sides to every story.

"We are investigating," he said. "The operator filed a report saying he
extinguished a small fire."