Passenger tosses coffee at TTC driver in Vaughan
Transit agency vows to do everything it can to catch man responsible for incident
York Regional Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a man who threw coffee at a TTC bus driver in Vaughan.
Police say a man boarded the 105 bus at the intersection of Dufferin St. and Dufferin Hill Dr. According to police, the driver believed the man was someone who had verbally abused him weeks earlier, so asked him to get off the bus. The man refused, police said.
The driver refused to move the bus until the man got off.
A 58-second video released by police shows the incident that occurred shortly after 8 a.m. on June 8. The man walks to the front of the bus, throws coffee at the driver from a silver thermal mug and exits.
It’s unclear whether the coffee was hot, said Const. Andy Pattenden of York Regional Police. According to police, the driver did not suffer burns.
“This incident is unacceptable and serious and we will do everything we can to make sure the suspect is caught,” said Brad Ross, spokesman for the TTC.
According to Ross, if operators feel unsafe in any way, they have the right to withhold service.
After taking a few days off, the bus driver was back to work on a different route, Ross said.
“The reality of the industry is that assault against bus drivers is almost inevitable,” said Bob Kinnear, leader of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113, which represents TTC workers.
Assault particularly over fare is very common and can be a very traumatic experience for the driver, said Kinnear.
The suspect is described as white, five-foot-10, medium build, with short, dark hair. Police say he was wearing a black jacket, a blue shirt, dark pants, white running shoes and sunglasses, and carrying a black and white patterned handbag.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7441, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips.