Man with glasses beats bus driver, captured on surveillance video
Hanzhou - A passenger who did not pay the full fare verbally abused and physically assaulted a bus driver of Hanzhong's Route 102 after being asked to make up the difference. The incident was captured by the bus' surveillance camera.
On November 6 at around 2 PM, as the bus stopped at Niujia Bridge station, six passengers (three men and three women) boarded the bus. Among them was a male passenger smoking a cigarette who paid only part of his fare before heading to the back of the bus. Driver Jiang Liang turned and asked where the man was headed, but received no response.
At 2:34:38 PM, Jiang stood up to inquire again. One of the passengers replied that they were going to Zongying. Jiang informed them that the fare was two yuan, but no one came forward to pay the additional amount. An argument ensued:
"Why do you have to collect two yuan?"
"You can report me to the company."
"Drive already!"
"You haven't paid enough money!"
"Do you want a beating?"
"Come and hit me then!"
At 2:35:30 PM, despite the verbal abuse, Jiang remained silent.
At 2:35:40 PM, a bespectacled passenger confronted Jiang: "Do you think you're so great? Are you driving or not?"
Jiang: "It's the company's rule."
Passenger: "Rule my ass! I won't pay."
At 2:35:47 PM, Jiang stepped off the bus to avoid further confrontation. The bespectacled middle-aged man followed him down: "Give me my money back first."
The bus driver is publicly beaten
At 2:36:20 PM, the driver was forcibly brought back onto the bus by two passengers. They pushed him into his seat while continuing to insult him: "It's just a short distance, why does it cost more upfront? I won't pay. Give me my money back!" Jiang explained that he couldn't retrieve the money from the coin box. The middle-aged passenger demanded: "Then drive already."
At 2:36:48 PM, the middle-aged man issued an ultimatum: "Are you driving or not?" As soon as Jiang replied "No," the man began hitting him. The youngest passenger also joined in, repeatedly striking Jiang's head. Another passenger sitting behind the driver quickly got up and moved away. The two men were eventually pulled apart by their companions. A female passenger attempted to put coins in the fare box but was stopped by the younger passenger: "Don't pay."
At 2:37:16 PM, Jiang turned and left the bus.
At 2:38:00 PM, the bespectacled middle-aged passenger disembarked, followed shortly by his group. Over the next few minutes, all the passengers left the bus.
Yesterday afternoon, Liu Jicheng, the person in charge of Hanzhong's Route 102 buses, said that this route runs between the South and North campuses of Shaanxi University of Technology. It's a suburban bus service that charges fares based on distance traveled. Passengers boarding at Niujia Bridge station and heading to Zongying are required to pay two yuan, but these passengers insisted on paying only one yuan, which led to the conflict. Liu sighed and mentioned that since last year, several bus drivers have resigned after being assaulted by passengers. Currently, the Hantai police have intervened to investigate the matter.