A Paisley bus driver was verbally abused and assaulted in an unprovoked attack by a raging passenger.
The thug lost the plot at the driver of the McGill’s bus, launching a tirade of abuse before lashing out while travelling from Braehead shopping centre to Paisley at the weekend.
The driver picked the man up at the shopping complex in Renfrew, and things kicked off on the bus as the vehicle was travelling along Inchinnan Road around 5.50pm on Saturday.
Passengers looked on as the man, who police are trying to identify, became verbally abusive started shouting. He became increasingly aggressive and punched the Perspex screen before turning his anger towards the 31-year-old driver, punching him on the arm.
Police are currently working to view CCTV from the bus and are now appealing for information from any other passengers who may have been on board the bus at the time in a bid to trace the suspect.
Inspector Damian Kane, from Renfrewshire’s community policing team, said: “Thankfully, the bus driver was uninjured, but this behaviour is not acceptable and we are making enquiries to trace the person responsible.
“This happened during a busy time and therefore there was, most likely, other passengers on board the bus who saw what took place between the victim and the suspect.
“We would ask any Good Samaritans who were there to please get in touch to provide a statement and assist us with our enquiries.”
McGill’s Buses, which operates a number of services in the town, has condemned the attack on the driver.
A spokesman for the company said: “This is a reprehensible incident.
“Our staff should be able to undertake their duties without suffering verbal or physical abuse and we are working closely with police to offer any assistance we can to identify the perpetrator.”
Anyone with information can contact police on 101, quoting reference KB0373052, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
