Hong Kong police urged to pursue attack on Hong Kong bus driver by two mainland Chinese women
- Two Mandarin-speaking women were filmed screaming at and hitting the 46-year-old driver on Tuesday night in Discovery Bay
- Neither party wished to pursue the case when police arrived, but lawmaker Roy Kwong has called on them to investigate
A legislator has urged Hong Kong police to investigate an alleged attack on a bus driver after viral video clips showed two mainland Chinese women physically abusing the man at a Lantau Island housing estate on Tuesday night.
The 46-year-old driver on Discovery Bay Transit Services’ route DP03P was shown in a 90-second clip being screamed at by two Mandarin-speaking female passengers as he sat inside a stationary bus at the terminus at Discovery Bay North Plaza. The women repeatedly pulled at his clothes and slapped him on the head. A man tried to mediate but failed.
In another, shorter clip, the driver was seen being berated by the women outside the single-decker bus, one of them grabbing his head and pulling his hair. The other woman repeatedly pointed a finger at him and shouted at him.
One of the women then called police.
When officers arrived, one of the women was gone. The other woman and the driver both said they would not pursue the case, according to a police source.
The source said the dispute started when two mainland women and a young girl got onto the bus at the start of the route at Sunny Bay MTR station, where the driver complained they were being too slow getting on.
Both sides apparently argued during the trip.
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At one point the girl fell over along with the trio’s luggage when the driver hit the brake, irritating them, the source added.
The clips went viral soon after. On Thursday morning, police called at the Auberge Discovery Bay hotel, where the trio were staying. But they had checked out, the source said, adding that police were trying to find them through other channels.
Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong Chun-yu said he was very concerned about the case and that he was angry about uncivilised behaviour by the passengers concerned.
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He wrote to the police on Thursday to call for serious action.
“Full concentration while driving is very important for bus drivers, who are trying hard to take passengers home or to work. Passengers should not resort to violence or verbal abuse even if they are unhappy,” Kwong said, adding that society would not accept the women’s disrespectful manners.
Amy Yung Wing-sheung, an Islands District Council member for Discovery Bay, said the hotel should deploy its own buses to transport its customers rather than putting a strain on the transport intended for residents of the estate.
Estate developer Hong Kong Resort Company, which owns Discovery Bay Transit Services, said the driver and the passengers concerned did not mention details of the assault to its staff and police at the time.
The company made a police report requesting for a follow-up after it reviewed bus camera footage and online videos of the incident.
It said it would not tolerate violent behaviour towards staff members.
