Watch: Bus driver spat at and 'punched' by beer-drinking passenger
The driver was spat on and had a beer thrown at him after the passenger refused to pay his fare and stop drinking on board
A bus driver was attacked, spat at and had beer thrown at him by a passenger during a journey through Fgura, as seen in footage posted on social media.
The video, published on the popular Facebook page Expats Malta on Wednesday, appears to show the incident happening at around 11 am on Tuesday on a route 91 bus.
The video was titled: “One of the hard-working expats getting punched, spat on and beer thrown over him”.
According to the person who posted the footage, the passenger had allegedly refused to pay for his ticket and was drinking alcohol on the bus.
In the footage, the passenger can be seen shouting at the driver and saying: “Bro, please, I know you like a brother. Bro, please leave me alone.”
He then sits down and appears to drink from a can of beer while the bus remains stationary.
According to the person who shared the video, the driver refused to continue the journey until the passenger paid for a ticket and disposed of the beer. The passenger appeared unwilling to do so, prompting the driver to call the police.
The driver also appeared to open the rear doors of the bus to allow the passenger to leave and to safeguard other passengers.
However, when the passenger noticed that the driver had called the police, he stood up and appeared to panic. He seemed unsure whether to leave the bus and then shouted at the driver: “ I catch you! Snitch, snitch, you snitch!”
The man then became more aggressive and moved towards the driver’s area. It is unclear exactly what he was saying at that point.
The footage appears to show him possibly punching in the driver’s direction before banging on the front door of the bus and demanding that it be opened.
The driver opened the door but before leaving, the passenger spat at the driver and also threw some of his beer in his direction.
The caption accompanying the video read: “This isn't acceptable, and I hope that TM and the police are actually going to do something to trace this guy.”
Malta Public Transport told Times of Malta it is investigating the incident and backing its employee.
“The company strongly condemns the abusive behaviour directed at one of its drivers. Such actions are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” it said.
The company said an investigation was underway and “all relevant information will be passed on to the authorities for the necessary action to be taken. The company is also providing full support to the driver involved.”
It said all employees deserved to carry out their duties in a safe and respectful environment at all times.