ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

A bus driver on the Superbus 14 line in Beit Shemesh was assaulted on Monday night after refusing to allow a passenger to board with an electric bicycle.

The passenger and his friends hung on the doors of the bus and tried to rip them off. One ran to bring a stick to beat the driver while another kept the doors open. The passenger cursed at the driver and threatened to harm him.

After refusing to respond to the passengers, the driver was physically attacked, but the barrier by his seat kept him from being injured.

The driver stated that one of the passengers tried to take control of the bus and even shifted gears while the bus was in motion which endangered the safety of the passengers.

"Once again we see how bus drivers have become scapegoats for outlaws," the Bus Drivers Union said. "Violence will only stop when bus drivers are recognized as public servants. It is inconceivable that we would return to see such sights on a daily basis. The stage where a driver will be killed at the wheel is closer than ever."

Bus drivers have been targeted in a series of assaults in the past year. In January, another Superbus driver in Beit Shemesh was assaulted by a teenager who refused to wear a mask.