Bus conductor attacks a 60-year-old man who tried to bargain over bus fare

A 60-year-old man was kicked off a bus and then punched in the face by the bus’s conductor, according to a viral Facebook post.

Ko Zwe Htet, the individual who posted the story on Facebook, was selling goods at his stall nearby and didn’t realize what had happened until the bus drove away.

Around 10 am, the elderly man was boarding bus number J-7646 at the ‘12-building’ bus stop in North Dagon township. The bus was on a route headed downtown.

Because he was planning on getting off at the next stop, the man paid the conductor K100. The conductor, however, demanded K200.

This occurred on one of the older “BM” buses, where fares vary depending on how far you’re travelling. Whereas the newer buses have a set basic fare of K200 regardless of where you’re going, this isn’t true for BM buses. A journey of one stop on a BM bus should only cost K100.

The man tried to reason that his destination was only one stop away, but the conductor was insistent about the extra K100. At that point, the man decided to get off the bus, which was when things turned ugly.

The conductor kicked the man off the vehicle, and then punched him in the face.

When Ko Zwe Htet and his wife ran to the victim’s aid, the inside of his upper lip was split open and bleeding profusely. Ko Zwe Htet’s wife put ice on the wound and cleaned up the blood.

Alongside his post, Ko Zwe Htet put up a picture of the bloody K500 note that the man was holding. “This was the K500 note that he had in his hand, just to give you an idea of how much blood there was”, he wrote.

Afterwards, the couple took the man to the Yankin police station to file a case, then to the Thingangyun Sanpya Hospital, and then back home.

An officer at the Yankin police station told Eleven that although the victim didn’t open a case himself, they will still be investigating the incident in order to make things right.

“If we keep excusing the behavior of these bus employees, they’re going to keep bullying other customers. This is why I opened the case myself and stood as a witness”, wrote Ko Zwe Htet.

Ko Zwe Htet also urged people to share his post in case anyone had any useful information that could help identify the conductor and to ensure that this kind of assault doesn’t happen again.

Lots of people in the comments section corroborated that physical assault and rude behavior were common among bus conductors in the city.

Although we’re glad that there are good people out there like Ko Zwe Htet and his wife, this kind of behavior from conductors, or anyone else, is awful and unacceptable. Hopefully the conductor responsible for this is soon identified and given the appropriate punishment.