Man who boarded SBS Transit bus without wearing a mask charged with assaulting driver

SINGAPORE — A 52-year-old man who boarded an SBS Transit bus without wearing a face mask was charged on Thursday (Sept 17) with assaulting the bus driver.

The man allegedly pushed the bus driver in the face, causing him to “sustain redness on his face”.

Ja'afally Abdul Rahim, a Singaporean, faces two charges of voluntarily causing hurt and possessing an offensive weapon — specifically, a 12cm-long knife.

The incident happened on Tuesday at about 2.50pm on bus service 21, at a bus stop along Pasir Ris Drive 1.

Public transport operator SBS Transit had given some details in a Facebook post on Wednesday, saying that a male passenger put on his face mask only after boarding the bus. 

The passenger then began shouting vulgarities at the bus driver, Low Kok Weng, 39, and continued doing so for two more bus stops.

SBS Transit said that the police were alerted to the commotion and the driver pulled into a bus bay to wait for them to arrive. 

At this point, the man grabbed the driver’s neck and collar for more than a minute and refused to let go despite the driver’s pleas to stop. 

“Our bus captain could be seen cowering with his arms shielding his face as the man started punching him repeatedly on the head,” SBS Transit said. 

It added that three young men who were at the bus stop then rushed in and tackled the assailant before dragging him out of the bus to the bus stop. 

They pinned the man to the ground before he was handcuffed and taken away by the police. 

Mr Low was taken to Changi General Hospital and given three days of medical leave.

Ja’afally told the court that he intends to plead guilty and will return to court on Oct 8. He remains out on bail of S$15,000.

If convicted of causing hurt, he could be jailed up to two years or fined up to S$5,000, or both.

If convicted of possessing an offensive weapon, he could be jailed up to three years and given at least six strokes of the cane.

On Wednesday, SBS Transit said that the incident was not an isolated one and that several of its bus drivers have been abused in the last months for enforcing the use of masks as part of Covid-19 safety regulations. 

“This is repugnant. And this must stop,” the company added.

Last month, an SBS Transit bus driver was threatened after he refused to let a man board the bus because he was wearing a neck gaiter instead of a face mask.

The bus driver was seen calling his company for help while the man used abusive language on him, saying that the driver's actions were racially motivated.