Metro Vancouver Transit Police are investigating a disturbing video depicting a man flying into a violent rage aboard a bus in Burnaby.
It happened around 6:15 p.m. on Canada Way near Hardwick Street, according to police.
The video was posted to Facebook by Neczarvee Jane Guidoriagao, who told Global News the driver had initially let the passenger on the bus even though he didn’t have a ticket.
The dispute shaped up when the man crossed the red line at the front of the bus, and the driver told him to step back or “we’re not going anywhere.”
That’s when the man lost his temper, Guidoriagao said, kicking the bus door and spitting on the driver.
The footage begins with a man repeatedly kicking the bus’ front door from the inside.
When the doors open, the man turns and spits on the driver.
The union representing drivers says their working conditions are deteriorating amid surging ridership numbers.
The union says along with overcrowding and slower buses, drivers are also seeing an increase in assaults.
“It’s absolutely terrible and we hope the driver’s OK and that they catch the person responsible, but I think a graphic scene like that gives you an idea of the conditions that our members face everyday,” Unifor western director Gavin McGarrigle said.
“It’s not simply just driving a bus, it’s dealing with the public and people who are irate because they can’t get on a bus because they’ve been passed.”
Unifor and the Coast Mountain Bus Company are resuming contract negotiations on Wednesday.
-With files from Janet Brown