Watch this video of a London bus driver getting shoved after asking rider to wear a mask
The driver was not injured despite appearing to be shoved hard by the female passenger
A woman who refused to wear a mask on a London Ont., city bus has been charged by London police after a driver who tried to enforce the masking rule was allegedly shoved.
The incident happened on Sept. 24 but the video captured by another passenger only recently surfaced on social media.
It shows the driver asking a woman sitting near the front of the bus to put on a mask. The bus, which was travelling between Fanshawe College and the city's north end, is stopped and the driver is standing in the aisle.
"You're moving around, and people are wearing masks. You don't have a mask," the London Transit Commission (LTC) driver said, expressing concern that the passenger was frequently switching seats.
The passenger tells the driver she had a mask on when she got on the bus, then she raises her voice.
"Listen, I have a PhD, ma'am," the womans says. "What do you do? Well, go drive the bus!"
The driver then asks the woman to leave, which appears to result in the driver being pushed by the passenger as she gets up from her seat.
Assault charge
In a statement, LTC General Manager Kelly Paleczny said police were called and charges have been laid. She said the driver was not injured but did not want to discuss the incident.
London police said they have charged the 44-year old woman with one count of assault.
Incidents involving passengers refusing to wear masks were more common when the rule first went into place in early July, but have decreased more recently, Paleczny added.
The LTC has instructed drivers not to attempt to enforce the rules.
CBC has reached out to the creator of the video to better understand the situation but has yet to hear back.