Police have launched an investigation after a video was released on social media in which a bus driver appeared to be struck by a passenger.
An unknown man wearing a green tracksuit could be seen punching the driver aboard a vehicle full of passengers at around 6pm on Friday near South Bank in Brisbane.
Footage, shared on Facebook by Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, showed the driver attempting to remove the man from the bus.
But the passenger could be seen unleashing a flurry of punches on him before stepping off the vehicle, only to return and appear to strike the driver in the face.
Other passengers could be heard calling out for the passenger to ‘stop it’ while, at one point, the man in the tracksuit shouted: ‘Why are you touching me?’
How the altercation began is not known.
It has been widely condemned, with Mr Schrinner calling the alleged assault ‘appalling and completely unacceptable’.
‘This kind of behaviour is deeply disturbing and has no place in our city,’ he said on Saturday.
The bus driver appeared to be punched in the face by the man in the green jumpsuit (pictured)
A passenger on board the bus captured the incident, which was shared by Brisbane’s Mayor
‘No one deserves to face violence in their workplace, especially from a single individual whose reckless actions endangered the safety of everyone on board.
‘My thoughts are with the bus driver who was subjected to this appalling and completely unacceptable attack while simply doing his job.’
The mayor emphasised that the incident did not reflect the values of the community, describing Brisbane as a ‘friendly’ city where everyone should feel safe.
While noting the city has strong safety protections in place for drivers, Mr Schrinner said violence like this should never happen.
‘We shouldn’t need them, which is why we continue to stand up for Brisbane against crime to keep our community safe,’ he added.
Queensland Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia on Saturday that they were investigating the incident.
‘The matter was only reported to police this afternoon, but initial information indicates a driver was assaulted shortly after 6pm Friday, June 20,’ a spokesperson said.
They have urged anyone with further information or footage to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
