Passenger allegedly punches & hurls vulgarities at bus driver at Boon Lay Bus Interchange, driver taken to hospital

While waiting for the police to arrive after an argument, a passenger physically assaulted a bus driver.

The man allegedly punched the driver in the face, eyewitnesses said according to Shin Min Daily News.

The driver was subsequently taken to the hospital.

The fight

The altercation happened on the morning of Mar. 28 at Boon Lay Bus Interchange, said Vincent Gay, deputy managing director of SMRT Buses, in response to Mothership's queries.

Due to a "misunderstanding during the bus journey", the driver and the passenger began to argue.

The passenger hurled vulgarities at the driver after alighting, prompting the driver to contact the Bus Operations Control Centre (BOCC).

The BOCC called the police for assistance.

But when the passenger tried to leave before the police's arrival, the driver attempted to stop him.

The passenger retaliated by physically assaulting the bus driver.

The driver was later taken to hospital for outpatient treatment.

Gay said that SMRT Buses is cooperating with the police in the ongoing investigations.

"We strongly encourage mutual respect between bus captains and passengers," Gay said.

Language barrier

According to eyewitnesses, the argument stemmed from the passenger's dissatisfaction at not being able to board the bus.

The bus driver had allegedly asked the passenger to wait before boarding the bus, leading to an argument between the two.

The misunderstanding might also have been compounded by a language barrier between the two men, they said.

Two commuters said that they saw the driver "holding on to the man" and telling him not to leave.

The passenger then got angry and punched the driver on the bridge of the nose.

Taken to hospital

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed that they were alerted to the incident.

One person, a 31-year-old bus driver, was conveyed conscious to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

A 30-year-old man is currently assisting with investigations for voluntarily causing hurt.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Top image from Shin Min Daily News and Google Maps