A blind man and his wife were allegedly assaulted on a public bus on Monday, by two passengers who refused to let them use a priority seat meant for persons with disability.

A spokeswoman for Malta Public Transport, which runs the national bus service, told the Times of Malta that they had received a complaint about the alleged incident and had forwarded it to the police for investigation.

“The company is in touch with the visually-impaired passenger and publicly expresses its solidarity with him and his family,” the spokeswoman said.

She added that the company would be providing the police with all the information available in order to assist them in their investigations.

The incident made its way to social media after the man’s daughter described her shock at how her mother and father were both shouted at and punched by a younger couple who refused to give up the seat which was being used by their young daughter.

Writing in popular Facebook group Are You Being Served, the woman explained how her parents had got on the bus after leaving Mater Dei Hospital.

“Thank God you can see from both eyes. I hope you never have to experience blindness,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, Malta Public Transport said the company continuously ran educational campaigns in the media to inform passengers that the priority seats on board were for those less able to stand.

“The company once again appeals to all its passengers to be courteous and respect fellow passengers,” MPT said.

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