The Transport Bureau (DSAT) said in a statement yesterday that it “solemnly condemns” the violence against a public bus driver around 8 p.m. at a bus stop in Avenida do Almirante Lacerda on Wednesday. 

The bureau is fully cooperating with the Public Security Police (PSP) to carry out an investigation into the incident, the statement said. 

Under any circumstances, a passenger must not interfere with a public bus driver while he or she is working, in order to ensure the safety of passengers on the bus, the statement noted. 

The bureau has advised the bus company to sue the passenger for assaulting the bus driver, the statement underlined. 

The statement stressed that public bus drivers are responsible for the safety of their passengers, so their work should be respected and their personal safety must be protected. 

According to a PSP report late Wednesday, a male passenger in his forties reeking of alcohol was upset with a public bus driver in his fifties who let passengers get off through the bus’s front door, which hindered him getting on the bus, and the two ended up quarrelling noisily and getting into a fight. 

According to a video clip circulating on social media, the passenger appeared to have attacked the driver and even ripped the latter’s orange uniform shirt to the navel. The clip also showed that the incident happened on a Barrier Gate-bound bus of the No. 1 route. Reportedly, both sustained injuries and were taken to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre for treatment. 

This video grab from a social media platform shows a passenger ripping the bus driver’s orange-coloured uniform shirt to the navel during an altercation on a No.1  route bus on Wednesday night.