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SINGAPORE – The captain of an SBS Transit bus was physically and verbally assaulted on Tuesday afternoon (September 15) by a passenger after being told to put on the mask during his trip, the latest in a series of such incidents. said the public transport operator.
“What happened yesterday, sadly, is not an isolated incident. Several of our bus captains have been abused in recent months due to the strict masking rule, “SBS Transit said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
“This is disgusting. And this must end. “
The 12-minute assault, which occurred around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, involved a male passenger boarding Service 21 along Pasir Ris Drive 6, SBS Transit said. The man came on board without a mask and only put it on afterwards.
“Then he started vulgarizing our bus captain and this continued until the end of two more bus stops,” added SBS Transit.
The 39-year-old bus captain later stopped at a bus stop in front of the 210 Pasir Ris Drive 1 block while waiting for police to arrive, who had been alerted to the incident.
While the vehicle remained stationary, the man “grabbed the bus captain by the neck and neck, holding him for more than a minute” and refused to release him despite the latter’s pleas.
The man began repeatedly hitting the bus captain on the head as the latter shrugged “with his arms protecting his face,” SBS Transit said.
“It was here that three young men who were at the bus stop rushed onto the bus and accosted the assailant, dragging him out of the bus to the stop,” he added.
The men pinned the assailant to the ground shortly before police arrived to arrest him, SBS Transit said.
The company added that the bus captain had sought medical treatment at Changi General Hospital and was granted three days of medical leave.
“We are grateful that he was not seriously injured. He’s in shock but he’s still in a good mood, ”said SBS Transit.
“We are especially grateful to the three Good Samaritans who gallantly stepped forward to help our bus captain. We would like to get in touch with them and we would appreciate if they could tell us through our direct line at 1800-2872727 or by email at [email protected] ”.
In response to media inquiries, police said a 52-year-old individual was arrested for possessing an offensive weapon and causing harm voluntarily.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Tammy Tan, senior vice president of corporate communications for SBS Transit, said the company has had about 40 cases of mass transit workers being assaulted this year, up from 33 cases in 2019. From the numbers to date, the mask-related assaults accounted for about half, Tan added.
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