Children in shock

Wild passenger beat up the bus driver

A video documents the incident.

(Bild: zVg)

A dispute over a ticket ended in a brawl. An angry man took all his rage out on the driver with punches and kicks. The bus driver was slightly injured. 

"I want to go to St. Pölten and this Wi* won't take me!" A man reacted angrily when he tried to board the B01 bus towards Pinkafeld on the main square in Oberwart at around 10.30 a.m. on Thursday. The passenger - who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol - claimed to have a valid ticket on his cell phone, but the battery was empty and needed to be charged first.

Customer did not want to pay
However, a bus driver has no time for this in regular service. According to the driver, the customer refused to pay for a ticket - and got rough. Then the fists flew. "The man went all out on me. I had to fight back," the bus driver (51) later reported. The scuffle escalated. Two courageous passers-by immediately tried to settle the dispute.

Scuffle at the bus stop: a passenger hit the bus driver (51) because he didn't want to buy a ticket.

(Bild: Christian Schulter, Krone KREATIV)

The man could not be calmed down
"But the attacker couldn't be calmed down, he snapped," said an eyewitness. "The man was really aggressive. He punched and kicked the bus driver like he was out of his mind. He wanted to hit him in the head, swore at him and threatened him," said an observer of the wild scene. The incident attracted everyone's attention on the busy main square.

"Please, police," screamed one woman. Children were in shock and crying. "Even two young boys who apparently addressed the attacker in Arabic, his native language, couldn't stop the fight," said an employee.

The man was really aggressive. He punched and kicked the bus driver like he was out of his mind. He wanted to hit him in the head, swore at him and threatened him.

Ein Augenzeuge

The police arrived quickly and broke up the brawl. After the investigation, a statement of the facts will be submitted to the public prosecutor's office in Eisenstadt. After reviewing the facts, a decision will be made as to whether proceedings should be initiated. "Our bus driver, who was slightly injured, is sorry to have been involved in such a situation. However, he is not allowed to take a passenger without a valid ticket," explains Wolfgang Werderits, Managing Director of Verkehrsbetriebe Burgenland.

Our bus driver, who was slightly injured, is sorry to have been involved in such a situation. However, he is not allowed to pick up a passenger without a valid ticket.

Verkehrsbetriebe Burgenland

Bus driver changes route
The driver will be assigned to a different route for the time being. "We will discuss with him and other colleagues how best to behave in such difficult cases," adds Werderits. The rejected passenger suffered abrasions on his elbow. A cell phone video of the scuffle is circulating widely on the Internet.

The man attacked the driver.

(Bild: zVg)

A video documents the incident.

(Bild: zVg)

Similar scenes in Vorarlberg
At almost the same time, a Romanian man (21) was in court in Vorarlberg who felt provoked by a bus driver in Feldkirch in March and punched him in the face with his fist. The driver had refused to accept the customer's 200 euro bill.

The argument got out of hand when the drunk man tried to board the bus again a few stops later and the bus driver wanted to take a photo of him on his cell phone - he was found guilty of assault and fined 1040 euros.