"You're fired!"
Those are the words any Chicago Transit Authority employee will hear if they're caught using a cell phone, according to the Sun-Times.
Starting today, the CTA is banning rail operators and maintenance workers from using -- or even possessing! -- cell phones, MP3 players, or any other appliance. The ban also extends to Blackberries, iPhones, and smart phones, thus ending many a scorching rail-side game of Brick Breaker.
"If an employee is using a personal cell phone while on duty, they will be discharged," CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said Wednesday.
The ban applies to bus drivers, too, unless they're on official business, parked on the curb, and have their brakes set.
The CTA set the separate standard because bus drivers don't carry official communication radios, while rail workers do.
The new rules come into effect as Gov. Pat Quinn prepares to sign a bill Thursday that would ban Illinois drivers from texting while driving.
See a violation? Holla at CTA customer service at 888-968-7282 or email feedback@transitchicago.com. Make sure you're ready with the bus or train route or line, the employee ID number, and the date and time of the infraction.
