The above video, sent to DCist yesterday by an anonymous tipster, depicts a MetroAccess driver sound asleep behind the wheel of his parked, but running car. According to the man narrating the video, the driver had been sleeping in the vehicle with the motor running “for over half an hour.” Of course, there’s no way to confirm whether the driver was actually asleep for that amount of time based on this one minute of video footage, but it’s certainly not encouraging to see anyone sleeping behind the wheel of a operational vehicle, no matter how hot it was outside.

One can somewhat understand the knee-jerk frustration that behavior like this would cause, especially in light of Sunday’s fare increases and Metro’s budget issues. But it’s important to remember that MetroAccess drivers are not Metro employees — rather, they are laborers who are subcontracted through a variety of independent firms.

DCist has contacted WMATA for an official comment and any additional information they can provide — we’ll certainly update this post if and when we hear back.

UPDATE: WMATA spokesperson Ron Holzer emailed DCist moments ago and said that the transit agency “contacted MV [Transportation, the contractor that provides MetroAccess service] immediately” after being made aware of the video. According to Holzer, WMATA has also “requested an investigation and appropriate follow-up into the matter.”