A COUNCILLOR is appealing for more tolerance towards bus drivers after he witnessed a driver being verbally attacked by a passenger.

Cllr Phil Stanley-Watts was on the 1B when the “aggressive” man got on at Boscombe Crescent and started hurling abuse at the bus driver at around 9pm last Friday.

He said: “This huge guy got on and started verbally abusing the driver. He shouted at the driver and it was something about his ticket.

“He was shouting really loudly and then, after that verbal assault, went and sat down on his own on the bus.

“He sat right near me and I was trying to get my mobile phone out to phone the police. I was shaking.

“The bus driver was very courteous. All drivers tend to be courteous and good with customer care and help mothers with children.

“They have to put up with a lot of abuse from people and I wish that passengers would be more polite and understanding.”

Yellow Buses operations manager, Mike Conroy, confirmed that the incident had taken place, adding that bus driving “can sometimes be a challenging role”.

Drivers are supported by a safety system including CCTV and radios.

The bus company works closely with community safety partners including police and local authorities as and when problems occur he warned.

He said: “Our drivers do an excellent job which we know is appreciated by the vast majority of our customers.

“Yellow Buses carries more than 13 million passengers a year and we experience very few incidents such as this.”

“In the Boscombe incident, our driver followed the correct procedure and radioed for assistance.

“Our controller called the police who attended promptly and dealt with the matter.

“The driver was assisted by a colleague from another bus and is fine.”

A Dorset Police spokesman said officers responded to a call from a Yellow Buses staff member, and a man, believed to be intoxicated, was removed from the bus.

No one was arrested or injured.