THE two schoolboys got up from their seats as the bus was
approaching their stop.
But they left something behind on the floor - a disposable
cup.
That did not sit well with the bus driver, Mr R Balakrishnan.
After pulling over at the bus stop, he stepped out of his cabin and
told the boys to dispose of the cup properly.
It ended with one of the boys allegedly punching him in the face
before they fled.
The incident happened on SBS Transit bus service 38 at about
2.45pm on Tuesday.
A commuter who witnessed it related his account on Stomp, The
Straits Times interactive website, on Wednesday.
The Stomper, who calls himself Danny, also posted a picture of
the boys, from Changkat Changi Secondary, after they got off the
bus.
Both were in their school uniforms. One of them, who was wearing
long trousers, appeared to be taunting the bus driver. His friend
was wearing shorts.
In an e-mail reply to The New Paper, Ms Tammy Tan, SBS Transit's
vice-president of corporate communications , confirmed the
incident.
She said that when the boys had boarded the bus at Simei MRT
station, Mr Balakrishnan noticed that one of them had a disposable
cup.
Along Bedok South Road, when the students were about to alight,
he noticed that they no longer had the cup.
Ms Tan said: 'He politely requested that the boy pick it up and
dispose of it in the litter bin at the bus stop.'
The boy picked up the cup and told Mr Balakrishnan that he
should take the cup home instead, Ms Tan added.
Mr Balakrishnan returned to his cabin and opened the exit door
for the boys.
But as he was alighting, the boy with the cup threw it on the
steps of the bus.
When Mr Balakrishnan saw that, he picked up the cup and got off
the bus to ask the boy why he had done that, Ms Tan said.
But the boy punched him in the face before running off with his
friend.
Mr Balakrishnan chased them but soon gave up as there were still
passengers in the bus.
Ms Tan said: 'The boy continued to taunt Mr Balakrishnan and
kept asking him to give chase.'
The boy wearing the trousers was believed to be the
attacker.
Not seriously injured
When contacted, Changkat Changi Secondary principal Yeow Lee Lin
said the two students would be dealt with.
Mrs Yeow said: 'We have identified the students concerned and
are also working closely with their parents to provide counselling
and guidance to them.
'The students have expressed regret over what has happened. We
have also used this incident as an opportunity to educate the rest
of the school.'
Ms Tan said: 'We are thankful that our bus captain was not
seriously injured. We are in contact with the school and the
Ministry of Education.'
SBS Transit said no police report was made.
Geraldine Yeo, newsroom intern
http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,199231,00.html?
That idiot should be hang, drawn and quartered...
