An SBS Transit bus captain was punched in the face after he advised a passenger to put on his face mask while on the bus.
“He had told a passenger to don a mask for the safety of other passengers onboard but, to his shock, received a punch to his face!” wrote SBS Transit in a Facebook post on Nov 14.
The 57-year-old bus captain of service 154 was physically assaulted while on the job on Nov 13, the bus company noted. The assailant was arrested by the police while the bus captain was conveyed to Changi General Hospital for his bloodied nose.
“We have visited him to extend care and concern and will continue to assist him as he recuperates and this includes helping him to take legal action,” said the company.
“We are angered by such acts of violence against our bus captains, which cannot be condoned and must be stopped.”
SBS Transit does not take the incident lightly and will pursue all avenues to ensure that justice is served.
“This includes fully supporting any of our staff who wishes to file for civil action, including undertaking the full legal bill,” it added.
The bus captain, who goes by the name Adip, informed the passenger that he needed to wear a mask while on public transport.
The assailant boarded the bus at a bus stop along Sims Avenue near Geylang Serai and was not wearing a mask, said NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and National Transport Workers’ Union Executive Secretary Melvin Yong in a separate Facebook post.
The commuter refused to wear a mask, so Adip reported the incident to the operations centre. As he was doing so, another commuter approached him and said the man decided to wear his mask.
“Upon arriving at the bus interchange, the assailant approached the bus captain and punched him on his face. Thankfully, two commuters who were on board the bus stepped forward to restrain the assailant till the arrival of the police,” said Mr Yong.
“I visited the bus captain earlier this afternoon together with our union leaders. He suffers multiple facial injuries, including a suspected fracture of his nasal bone. I assured him that the Union is working closely with the company to take care of his medical expenses and medical leave while he focuses on his recovery,” Mr Yong noted.
Netizens agreed that the company should take all measures to uphold justice so “the next passengers will think twice before they assault any bus captains.”
“If Singapore can be ruthless towards those who litter, this act of barbarism towards the bus captain should be mercilessly punished,” said Facebook user Kiran Shawn. /TISG
A big thank you to bus captain going the extra mile of holding up umbrella for passengers