There are easier ways to deal with stinky things on the bus

A woman is complaining that a Seattle bus driver kicked her off the bus because of her sick baby’s smelly diaper. The Ross and Burbank Show agree this might not have been the best way to handle things.

KOMO reports Nichole Hakimian was taking her 1-year-old son to a clinic Tuesday for an intestinal illness when the stinky-conflict occurred.

“He had just pooped in his diaper as soon as I got on because he was having diarrhea,” she said. “And right after that, she told me I had to get off the bus.”

When Hakimian asked why she had to go, she said the driver replied, “Your baby, he smells really bad, and it’s not fair that we all have to smell that.”

Producer Andrew Walsh says he wonders how a baby’s diaper could smell so bad the woman and child had to be kicked off.

“Have you ever dealt with a dirty diaper that is so dirty you can’t move to the back of the bus and get away from the smell?” Andrew asked.

Hakiman says she told the driver her son was sick and she was taking him to the doctor. Nonetheless, the driver stopped the bus and let her out about a half mile from the clinic, she said.

Hakiman, who is four months pregnant, changed the baby’s diaper and caught another bus to the clinic where she learned her baby was suffering from a stomach bug.

She complained to Metro and the King County transit agency is investigating.

“The bus drivers do have procedures and protocols,” Jeff Switzer, the spokesperson for King County Metro told Ross and Burbank. “There’s also codes of conduct expected for passengers. There are personal hygiene sections and expectations for our riders.”

Dave Ross said he understands hygiene requirements, but thinks perhaps they didn’t have to come down so hard on a mother with a sick baby.

“That certainly applies to people who haven’t taken a shower in a long time or have some other kind of problem that requires immediate attention, but a mother with a diapered baby seems to me to be something we could make an exception for.”

Andrew said he’s found himself in some stinky situations on the bus and there are easier ways to deal with it.

“I used to ride the bus every single day back and forth to work and you know what, sometimes you are next to somebody who smells really bad like defecation. It has happened to me and you know what I did, I moved my seat, and that was the end of that story. Nobody got kicked off the bus.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.