Torontonians have reported three separate cases where Toronto Transit Commission drivers appear to be texting while operating buses in the past week, despite provincial laws banning the practice.

Local woman Alexia Schell revealed a previously unseen photo Friday that appears to show a driver texting while operating a bus earlier this week.

In a telephone interview, Schell told ctvtoronto.ca that she took the photo while riding on the 54 Lawrence bus with her son on Tuesday afternoon.

Schell said she was appalled when she apparently saw the driver "start texting on his BlackBerry," while the bus was moving at a slow speed.

Riding the bus with her son and stroller in tow, Schell said she began to worry what would happen if the crowded vehicle got into a collision or had to stop suddenly.

She snapped a photo with her iPhone and decided to send it in to a local news station.

On Friday morning, Schell was flooded with calls after a newspaper published a front-page photo of what appears to be a different TTC driver texting while operating a bus on Weston Road.

That photo was published on the Toronto Sun website late Thursday and has led to an investigation by the TTC.

'Very serious' allegations

Mike Schmitz, who took the photo in the Weston Road case, said the driver was driving at about 50 km/h when he appeared to be texting on his phone.

"He was on the phone for about three minutes," Schmitz told CTV Toronto on Friday, explaining the driver was looking up and down between the phone and the road.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross told ctvtoronto.ca that the allegation regarding the driver pictured in the newspaper was "very serious."

Ross said TTC drivers are not allowed to use cellphones, iPhones, BlackBerrys and other such devices while operating vehicles.

"It's a public safety issue," Ross said, citing the danger to fellow passengers, pedestrians and other motorists if a driver is distracted.

A third alleged case of texting was caught on cellphone video by Robert Sauer, who recorded a conversation a driver had while a York-to-Downsview bus was stopped on Monday evening.

That video shows a TTC driver talking on the phone with his left hand while traffic can be seen passing by in the opposite direction on the other side of the road.

TTC wants to hear about problems first

Ross said the TTC prefers that riders contact them first, so they can investigate any concerns in a prompt manner.

Schell said she wasn't sure how to bring forward a complaint to the TTC about such matters, but admits she forwarded the photo to the media without researching who to call at the TTC.

The incident reported in the Sun also drew the attention of TTC chair Karen Stintz, who wrote on Twitter late Thursday that the "reported texting incident has upset me greatly" and that transit management "will take appropriate action."

Bob Kinnear, the president of ATU Local 113, said the case being investigated by the TTC will be handled internally.

"We do not condone in any way, shape or form someone texting while operating a bus at 50 kilometres an hour," Kinnear told CTV Toronto.

"So, it'll be an internal process which we will follow and I'm sure that if everybody does their job, the appropriate measures will be taken and the appropriate outcome will happen."

However, he wondered why transit users are trying to catch workers when they slip up.

"We don't like that people are out there, you know, playing peek-a-boo with our members, because again, a majority of our members do a good job," he said.

Earlier this week, the ATU Local 113 posted a Facebook warning to TTC drivers to "avoid Facebook when you are on the job." On Friday, it added a related posting advising members to "look at the front of TheSun today and what did we warn you about!"

Ontario has had a distracted driving law in effect since January of last year.

It prohibits drivers from using handheld devices while driving.

Toronto police Const. Hugh Smith told ctvtoronto.ca that the law applies to all drivers in the province, no matter what kind of motor vehicle they are driving.

"This applies to everyone across the board," Smith said in a telephone interview.