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"I'm disappointed in myself": Cr Kevin Duffy departs Orange Buslines after "scrolling" on phone
February 17, 2023
By Peter Holmes
Orange City councillor Kevin Duffy has parted ways with Orange Buslines after 12 years.
Duffy believes a complaint was made claiming he was handling a mobile phone while on the job.
The Orange News Examiner was sent an anonymous email on Saturday afternoon saying Duffy was no longer working at the bus company.
"That's basically true," Duffy told us when we contacted him shortly thereafter. "It's not bullshit."
He said he had left the company about a week ago following a meeting.
"They called me in, they said, 'Look you've been a great employee', and I said 'Cut the bullshit', and they said, 'We've got no option' ... and that was that."
Asked if he had resigned from the company, Duffy said: "I didn't take much notice. I said, 'I'm out of here, I'll see you later'." He said he stood up and left the meeting.
He said he was waiting to sort out his long service leave entitlements.
Duffy said he was not using his mobile phone to talk to somebody, but was "scrolling on it". He said it was the second time it had occurred in his 12 years driving for the company. He wasn't sure where the second incident occurred as he didn't stay around at the meeting to watch footage from CCTV within the bus.
"I'm not the first person to be fined for speeding or parking or mobile phone," he said. "To be honest, I'm disappointed in myself.
"I'm getting towards retirement age, so I'm not shattered; I'm not anything about it."
He said the "only thing I'll miss are the students and the parents, great grandparents and carers".
"Those children I treated virtually as my own," Duffy said, "because I was on the Ophir [Kangaroo] run the whole time. All I know is all the kids messaged me, half of them are in tears - they're the ones I feel sorry for. I've had kids on this bus from year 1 through to year 12."
Duffy lives on about 100 acres in Borenore. When The Orange News Examiner called he said he was having a break and a cup of tea, before returning to his shearing shed to make wooden gates. He said he won't have any trouble filling his time.
There was no farewell, but Duffy wasn't bothered. "No, not really, I'm not into those things. That doesn't worry me. I went and said goodbye to the staff I value at [Orange Buslines]. So that was it."
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