2/5/2026 11:17:47 AM | less than a minute read

The limits of heroism at work: tribunal upholds bus driver sacking

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Oliver Daly

Principal HR Consultant

Get in touch

Oliver Daly

Principal HR Consultant

In June 2024, bus driver Mark Hehir chased down a thief who had snatched a passenger’s necklace, retrieved the item, and later struck the man in what he described as self‑defence. Police took no further action, and the public hailed him as a hero.

But Metroline dismissed him for breaching safety protocols, including leaving his bus unattended with the engine running and becoming involved in a physical confrontation. An employment tribunal has now upheld that decision, ruling the dismissal fair.

For HR leaders, this case is a powerful reminder:

Public opinion does not override safety policy.
Frontline employees need clear boundaries.
Investigations must weigh context while upholding standards.
Communication is essential when decisions are unpopular.

Instinct and bravery matter but so does duty of care.

Dismissing Hehir’s unfair dismissal claim, employment judge Harrison said the tribunal’s role was not to decide what actually happened during the incident, but whether Metroline acted reasonably in treating the conduct as grounds for dismissal. Harrison said the disciplinary and appeal managers “held a genuine belief that the claimant was guilty of each of the three misconduct allegations he faced”. Addressing the CCTV evidence, Harrison rejected arguments that Metroline’s interpretation was flawed, concluding that the findings were “a reasonable interpretation of the CCTV evidence”. https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1947153/bus-driver-fairly-sacked-hitting-thief-tribunal-rules