Could I have got the bus driver into trouble?

[Serendipetty]

I was on the upper deck of a bus last night at about eight-thirty, and the man sitting across the aisle opposite me was staring, constantly. I started back at him momentarily hoping he would stop but he didn't. All the journey I could 'feel' him staring'.

I tried to not look at him again but at some point glanced in his direction and he had his hand on his crotch,making thrusting movements toward me. I went downstairs and sat elsewhere, intending to tell the driver as I was getting off-I didn't want to disrupt anyone's journey.

I'd been sitting downstairs for about 5 minutes when a woman comes from the upper deck and goes to the driver, loudly complaining about the same man. She then says he'd done the same to another woman (me) and came over to me, and we both spoke to the driver. This woman said the man had been taking photos of her. We were at a bus stop now, so the driver stopped-I told him what had happened and he said he did not tolerate anything like this on his bus and he tried to get me to point to him on the cameras. I couldn't quite figure out which one he was so me and the driver went upstairs and I took him to him.
Man denied everything. Driver said he needed to check his phone to make sure he had no photos of anyone. Man refused saying his phones 'were both dead'. I had a portable charger on me so I gave it to the man and he turned both his phones on with it-no photos visible other than multiple photos of different people's IDs.

I asked him why he was staring at me the whole journey, he denied it and I said it wasn't okay to go around trying to intimidate women like this. He just kept his head down and mumbled-at several points throughout the conversation he said he didn't speak english-which was rubbish as he did and although he had a foreign accent, it were the sort where you could tell he had also picked up local dialect. The driver was brilliant throughout.

I filled out a compliments form on the bus company's website once I got home, saying how he'd handled it perfectly and that I commend the bus company for taking women's safety seriously but as soon as I had sent it I began worrying, in case, the driver shouldn't have stopped, and held up passenger journeys? Or perhaps he wasn't meant to insist on seeing his phone? Or something? I'd hate for him to get into trouble and it be my fault!

It is done now.

I know-I guess there's nothing to be done about it now. I very seldom take the bus, drive everywhere but I had been out for a couple of drinks and figured 10p versus £13 for an uber was a no-brainer!

My DH is a bus driver, the driver handed it correctly. Is great that you told his employers how great he was. They work very hard and are treated terribly by sober off the public. My DH has to clean up vomit, shit and piss on a regular basis and is called fit to burn and threatened and shouted at pretty much every day. All for £16 an hour and 4% pension contribution. Come the end of October and it’s not unusual for buses to be pelted with bricks. I wish he would do a different job but he loves the decent People and has built up friendships with the regular older customers.

Don’t worry OP, you did the right thing here. You shouldn’t have felt threatened or intimidated by the passenger. He was totally out of order. Well done, I admire you and the other lady for not tolerating this.

The driver is responsible for his response in this. You’re not. Take care x

Just to add, well done for commending the driver, sounds like he went above and beyond. Honestly, I think you all handled a horrible situation really well.

I think you couldn’t have asked more of the driver. He took you both seriously, and quite possibly his actions stunned the man into submission.

You’ll never know, of course, but I’d like to think he informed the depot and has had them look at the CCTV, possibly with more action.

That's absolutely disgusting ,that he's treated like that. It's such a valuable, essential job. I have a friend who is a bus driver who I will also speak to but he is on holiday at the moment.. he too loves his job. I wonder if it is route/region dependent? Not to say he doesn't deal with things like you describe but he's not ever mentioned.it. just often that he loves the job as the elderly people on his route that he helps brighten up his day. Thank you for replying, I feel better about it now.

Thank you. I'm very mild tempered but it infuriated me. Hopefully the cretin will be put off doing it again, although the cynic in me doesn't think so unfortunately. True, he chose how he handled it but when he had said 'I dont tolerate this sort of thing on my bus!' I thought perhaps he might've gone against company policy or something and I maybe should've kept my trap shut. Glad to know it isn't likely. I hope he gets some praise for it.

10p?

That's how much the bus ride were!

this can't be right surely, where do you live? I want to move there.

West Yorkshire! I'll double check but I'm quite certain and I vaguely remember it becoming thing. I didn't pay it much mind at the time because I just so rarely use a bus.