A South West Trains driver has been suspended from work after a commuter took a picture of a digital display on one of his carriages, which it is claimed showed a political slogan.
Allegedly the customer information system on a South West Trains class 450 suburban service had been programmed to show the message “Vote Out”. Spotted by a commuter passing the set on another train, the unusual approach to politicking was reported to local news service GetSurrey.
According to the report, the anonymous passenger who took the picture was travelling out of London on Sunday evening when he saw the digital display. They said: “I got off at Woking… I had a look myself at the other train. It left [Waterloo]before us but we passed it a few minutes before reaching Woking [at 8.45pm], which is when I took the picture”.
South West Trains, part of the Stagecoach group confirmed a member of staff had been suspended from work pending an internal investigation. A spokesman said: “The EU referendum is a matter for the electorate.
“Our company has taken no position on the issue. If this has appeared on one of our trains, it has been without our knowledge or authorisation”.
South West Trains told Breitbart London they had no further comment on how long they expected the driver to be suspended for, and if they had suspended any staff in the past for political activism.
The train operator isn’t the only mass transit company concerned about the keenly held political views of their staff. Breitbart London reported in March on a Swedish bus company which suspended a driver after he posted articles about mass migration on a private social media account.
Despite the fact the posts could only be seen by the ‘friends’ of the driver, the company expressed concern over equal treatment of passengers after they received a tip-off about his online activity.
Despite his suspension, the driver stood by his views. He told local media: “This country is being drained of resources, with certain groups getting priority over others. Previously, we had an idea of the general welfare, that we have abandoned.
“It’s not fair. I am at heart sad about what is happening in Sweden”.