CTA Bus Driver On Disability Had Side Job: Chauffeuring Chris Brown And Diddy

By Amy Cavanaugh in News on Oct 6, 2012 4:00PM

In 2010, CTA bus driver Derronald Ward had a heart attack and started receiving disability payments. He wasn't working for the Chicago Transit Authority, but he kept his side job—celebrity tour bus driver. This week, the Sun-Times reported the story, which has amazing quotes, like:

"If they need a bus, they will call me personally," Ward says of clients like Ray J, Brandy and Chris Brown, who he refers to as "friends." "Puffy and 2 Chainz, they have readjusted their whole schedule until I become free."

The Sun-Times reports that in May, Ward, who lives in Matteson, was fired from the CTA when he couldn't provide the necessary paperwork to continue his disability leave. On Thursday, "State Executive Inspector General Ricardo Meza released a report accusing Ward of violating the CTA’s outside employment rules, making false statements to his supervisors about his outside gig and breaking state ethics laws by not cooperating with his investigation."

According to the CTA, Ward signed a "secondary employment survey" that asked if he was considering a second job. He answered "no" and signed the form, but Ward said he couldn't remember signing it. His file shows that in 2007, he was "employed as a driver for a rapper tour.”

Ward told the Sun-Times that he's actually been driving celebs since 2000, which started after he met Tyler Perry in 1998 while he was subbing for a limo driver.

The two clicked, and Perry helped him find a driving job for celebrity clients: "He made a phone call and the next thing you know, every door you can ever imagine opened," Ward said.

Since then he's driven Janet Jackson, New Addition, Queen Latifah, Chris Brown and the Wu Tang Clan, among others.

Ward says he suffered a heart attack in 2010 and quickly went on disability from his CTA job. He admits now he extended his disability while taking on driving gigs with celebrities.

He didn't return to work in September 2010, when he was supposed to, and pushed off his return date until last November.

The CTA says the transit agency paid Ward approximately $5,000 in short-term disability pay over 26 weeks. No long-term disability payments were issued after last November.

But Ward said the disability checks weren't enough and he had to make his side job a career.

The CTA won't be trying to get the payments back from Ward, due to his medical condition, though he'll have some money flowing in soon—he's taking a new job as Chris Brown's tour driver. Here's a video about Ward: