A MegaBus driver has been arrested for drunk driving while transporting passengers from Chicago to Iowa City and Des Moines.

Fifty-two-year-old Carl H. Smiley, from Chicago, was arrested Friday at 10:08 p.m. for a second-offense operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated with several passengers on board.

Chicago attorney John Tantazis was one of the passengers onboard when an Iowa State trooper pulled the two-level bus over a few miles east of the North Dodge Street exit on I-80. Police reports state the driver was pulled over for failing to maintain a lane.

“I noticed the bus was kind of swerving once in awhile, going back and forth,” Tantazis said. “But I chalked it up to the wind. You just kind of think that everything is under control.”
Tantazis said the bus — with roughly 30-40 passengers — continued on to the exit and came to a stop where a trooper conducted a field sobriety test. After 30 minutes of waiting, Tantazis said he called his wife, who was in Iowa City at the time, and walked to a nearby gas station to get picked up.

Police records state Smiley “smelled strongly of an alcoholic beverage and admitted he had been drinking.” Smiley failed a standard field sobriety test and was placed under arrest.

Tantazis said the bus arrived at the Chicago station an hour late and prior to leaving, Smiley gave an unusual speech.

“I had headphones on but I heard the gist of it,” Tantazis said. “It was this really strange warning about drinking on the bus, and that nobody should be doing it.”

Edward Hodgson, director of MegaBus for the U.S., said he believed Smiley has been a driver with the company for about a year and the arrest came as a surprise.

“During his time with us he’s been very reliable and we’ve had no reason to doubt his abilities as a driver,” said Hodgson, adding that company procedures are meant to prevent such occurrences from taking place. “We have a very comprehensive class before [drivers] ever take the road as a MegaBus driver.”

Hodgson said a company investigation is currently underway on the incident and said he couldn’t yet comment on Smiley’s future with the company. Hodgson added that all drivers undergo background checks and the situation of Smiley’s arrest being a second offense was also being investigated.

“We obviously have a zero tolerance with this kind of thing,” he said. “We are still investigating but until it’s done, this particular driver will not be driving any trips for us.”

Hogdson said he couldn’t recall any similar arrests among intoxicated MegaBus drivers but Tantazis pointed out an article published in The Michigan Daily in 2008 which reported a MegaBus driver being arrested for driving under the influence while en route to Ann Arbor.

Tantazis said he had ridden MegaBus in the past but had never experienced a situation like Friday’s.

“That’s a really dangerous situation,” he said. “And to find out that he is a repeat offender, that is really a shock.”
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011111022013