Driver Refuses To Operate Bus Carrying Atheist Ad

Now that the Des Moines, Iowa Area Regional Transit Authority has finally decided to allow an atheist group to run its ads on twenty local buses (see prior posting), transit officials face a different issue. Bus driver Angela Shiel refuses to drive a bus which carries the ad. Yesterday's Des Moines Register reports that DART has suspended the driver for violating its rule that drivers may not refuse to operate a working bus assigned to them. Some attorneys suggest that DART may have an obligation to accommodate Shiel's religious beliefs if it can do so easily. Apparently some passengers are also boycotting buses featuring the "Don't believe in God? You are not alone" ads.