AUSTIN (KXAN) – The man who hijacked a Capital Metro bus on Saturday and then later took his own life was a contract driver for the transit service.

CapMetro said in a statement Monday that off-duty driver Salvador Martinez hijacked the bus in South Austin and ordered the bus operator and two passengers off of the bus.

The on-duty operator followed the established protocol for emergencies to ensure the safety of the passengers, who were unharmed during the incident, CapMetro said.

Martinez drove the bus to Bastrop, where he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been an employee of McDonald Transit since August 2012, and had been placed on suspension in February 2013.

Prior to his employment with McDonald Transit, Mr. Martinez was employed by Star Tran, Capital Metro’s private non-profit contractor from 1998 to 2012.

Capital Metro officials would not elaborate on why Martinez was suspended. Saying that it is still under investigation. 

This isn’t the first time a Capital Metro driver committed suicide on board a bus. Last July, 47 year old Jesus Rios, got on board a bus and shot himself. He was a Star Tran contracted worker for 11 years and was also placed on suspension during the time of the suicide. 

Capital Metro says they are providing their employees with grief counselors to prevent something like this from happening again. 

The public transit company also ensures the safety of their passengers.

“All Capital Metro contractors are trained in emergency procedures, which also includes refresher training,” the transit service said. “In addition, Capital Metro equips its buses with a variety of safety features that allow its bus operators to contact the dispatch office and first responders in the event of an emergency such as this.

Capital Metro said it was continuing to cooperate with authorities during their ongoing investigation.