Bus inspector punched and kicked in face

A bus ticket inspector was punched and kicked in the face by an angry passenger with an expired ticket on Friday night.

The incident happened in full view of other passengers on a crowded SBS Transit bus service 80 along Hougang Avenue 10 at about 11.10pm.

Passengers said the assailant, who wore a black shirt and pants and had a tattoo on his left arm, boarded the bus at Lorong 5 Geylang.

He looked angry and complained to the driver that the bus he was on had broken down, and he had waited a long time for that bus to come along. He then remained at the lower deck of the double- decker bus, which had about 30 other passengers.

When the bus reached Hougang, the ticket inspector, boarded the bus to check if the passengers had paid their fares.

Expired

The commotion started when the inspector, 52, asked to look at the tattoed man's ez-link card.

Passengers said he produced an expired ticket for another bus, which the inspector did not accept.

The man started to become rowdy when he was told to pay a $20 fine.

He dragged the inspector onto the floor of the bus, then punched and kicked him.

Some passengers tried to help but the assailant ran off the bus at the next stop.

Ms Wong Pei Ting, 23, who was on the upper deck, saw a man running away at the bus stop opposite Punggol Park.

Ms Wong told The New Paper: "Everyone was very shocked."

She heard loud noises and shouting coming from the lower deck, then saw a man sprint away.

"I thought that something bad had happened," said the undergraduate from Nanyang Technological University.

The driver decided to stay put and told the 50 or so passengers to step out and board the next bus.

A passenger helped render first aid to the inspector, who was bruised from the punches and kicks to the face, as he sat on the pavement just outside the bus' front door.

A SBS Transit spokesman has confirmed the incident.

Said SBS Transit's corporate communications senior vice-president, Ms Tammy Tan: "We view this incident seriously and do not condone violence and assaults against our staff in the course of their jobs.

"We would also like to thank commuters and members of the public who came to the assistance of our staff during the incident."

Police said they received a call for assistance but the assailant had left the scene before they arrived.

The ticket inspector was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Ms Tan said he had been given five days of medical leave and was not available for comment.

Police are looking into the matter.

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