youth and whiskey., it's not likely that the driver did it on purpose. It was probably an accident; there's nothing ignorant about it. I don't understand how 'lack of knowledge' fits into this situation...
Also, the investigation implies that the police do not yet know why it happened, and that bus driver has bills to pay. It's not fair to automatically take away his financial life support over an accident that hasn't even been investigated yet.
The bus driver should NOT be on paid leave, but that's my opinion. He should be put on regular leave; no pay. That's completely ignorant that he did such a thing. Looks like he'd know better.