Child gang pelt bus driver with snowballs
Passengers left ‘shocked’ by ambush
ABUS driver was pelted with snowballs by a group of children while waiting at a bus stop in Rochdale.
Passengers on the 163 bus, heading towards Heywood, on Monday afternoon were left ‘ shocked’ when the school children hurled the snowballs towards the driver.
One passenger told the Observer there were around 15 children waiting for the driver to open his door at the bus stop near Langley Lane in Middleton at around 3pm.
The children then counted down from three and ‘absolutely pelted snowballs at the driver’.
“There’s always loads of kids there at that time as they’ve just left school,” Lucy Ridings, who was on the bus at the time, said.
“They all ran for the bus and then when he stopped to open his door, they counted down and then simultaneously launched snowballs right at where the driver was sitting.
“The driver tried closing the doors straight away whilst some were still throwing the snowballs.
“But then the doors opened again.
“I don’t know if the driver was considering letting the other kids on the bus or whether this was an accident.
“Someone shouted “don’t let them on, just drive off” and he closed the doors again and drove off.”
Lucy said the incident lasted just under a minute - with the children throwing the snowballs in unison.
She said the driver was left unhurt as the screen was able to protect them.
She added she felt the children ‘showed no remorse’, with some even hoping to get on the bus after the attack.
“They still just stood there even after what they’d done,” Lucy explained.
“Some were probably going to attempt to board but they definitely didn’t run off. They definitely showed no remorse anyway.”
Lucy added that she felt sorry for bus drivers who have to endure similar behaviour on a regular basis. “It’s awful,” she said. “A few of the kids that get on at that stop each day when they’re leaving school are quite disrespectful.
“They just treat the drivers with no respect.
“Fair enough they’re kids, but they still know right from wrong and, at the end of the day, that driver is still a human being and should be treated with respect.
“I felt sorry for the driver as no one deserves that.
“There was an elderly man who struggled to get off afterwards because of all of the snow.
“He took it slowly but managed to get off okay in the end.
“It was just an inconvenience that was cruel and unnecessary.
“Everyone was fine and the driver seemed unfazed, but I can imagine it being a very hard situation to keep your cool.”
In a statement, Diamond North West condemned the incident and said the bus had to be withdrawn during rush hour to be cleaned as a result.
A spokesperson said: “Diamond Bus North West are aware of an incident on the bus in question; although this may seem like a group of youths messing around there were consequences from their actions.
“The floor of the bus was covered in snow, which then melted to create a wet surface.
“The actions of these youths meant that the bus had to be withdrawn for a period of time to clean the floor for the safety of our passengers which led to delays to services leading into rush hour.”
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