'Well, it's because you are black': Martha's Vineyard bus driver fired over comment

A Martha's Vineyard bus driver was fired after telling a would-be passenger that he wouldn't pick him up "because you are black," officials said.

The incident unfolded on the Massachusetts island on July 11, and the driver was fired the following day, according to the Martha's Vineyard Transit Authority.

The name of the driver was not released.

The passed-over passenger had reportedly tried to flag one of the island's buses heading from Edgartown to Oak Bluffs, another town about 7 miles away.

According to the transit authority, the bus was at capacity, so the driver should have indicated that by changing the sign.

The would-be passenger then had to take an Uber after the bus drove past he arrived in Oak Bluffs shortly after the bus, the transit authority said in a statement.

At that point, the person confronted the driver, asking why he was passed over.

The transit authority said that the driver first claimed that the bus was full, but then when the man "challenged this response," he said "well, it's because you are black."

The exchange was recorded by the on-board camera and the audio and video footage were used in the transit authority's review of the situation.

"The VTA and their operating manager, Transit Connection, Inc., who manage the vehicle operators, have a zero tolerance policy for this type of behavior. The vehicle operator involved in this incident has been terminated from employment, effective immediately," they said in a statement.