Passenger with Down syndrome not allowed on bus

The Egged bus company launched an investigation Wednesday after a driver was filmed appearing to refuse to take a passenger with Down syndrome on his bus.

The incident allegedly took place on Tuesday afternoon at the Rishon Lezion central bus station.

The passenger on the 83 bus to Tel Aviv didn’t have money for the fare, Channel 2 reported. Although another woman immediately offered to pay for him, the driver rejected the money, insisting that the passenger get off the bus.

A video, which was widely shared on social media on Wednesday, shows the driver of the Egged bus insisting that the young man, who is crying profusely, will not be permitted to board, but must instead take the next bus. Other passengers claimed that the driver said that the Down syndrome youth “might do something to me during the journey.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu1SPH6oxag

“The driver blocked traffic, causing a huge backup,” Alexandra Greenberg, who posted the video online, told Channel 2 news.

The driver “physically removed the young man from the bus. People said they would take responsibility for him and would supervise him. But the driver continued to push the boy out of the bus using his hands and feet,” she said.

The bus company said in a statement that “the driver was identified this morning and summoned to a preliminary hearing. He is currently testifying before a supervisory committee. As far as we know the boy and his mother filed a complaint this morning… The boy, who did not have a bus card, tried to board the bus without paying and the driver refused to allow him on. The details of the incident are being investigated now.”

Egged said that a second bus arrived a few minutes later and the driver of that bus saw the passenger and several other people with him. “The driver saw that the youth was distressed and recognized him as a regular passenger on this route at this time.”

The youth told the second driver that he had lost his bus card, and the driver paid for a new one out of his own pocket, according to the bus company. The driver calmed the youth down and allowed those accompanying him to board the bus with him.

The bus company added that “based on the video and the details publicized on Facebook, this incident requires a thorough investigation. If the driver did not follow protocol and did not act appropriately for a public transport driver we will not hesitate to take serious steps against him.

“However, to our regret, we have learned that complaints on social media are not always as they seem and often we find that they do not give the full picture. We must carefully examine the details of each case before jumping to criticize the driver’s actions.”