CHARLOTTE — A video shows a fight on a CATS bus involving a passenger and a driver.
Bus 2140 was headed down Park Road when a belligerent passenger approached the driver.
“Let me out. Let me out right now,” the passenger could be heard saying.
“I can’t pull over,” the driver said. “I can’t pull over.”
The policy states that drivers are only allowed to go to scheduled stops.
The passenger became more agitated and that’s when things got physical.
“Let me off this bus,” the passenger demanded. “Let me off, boy. Let me off this bus. Let me off this bus. Open this door. Open the door.”
The driver called dispatch for help.
“He hit me many times on the bus and he’s on the bus,” the driver told dispatch. “I locked the door.”
Some operators said they would have let the passenger off for the safety of everyone.
“No, you have to wait until security comes,” the driver told the irate passenger.
Some passengers started encouraging the driver to defend himself.
“The bus driver needs to fight back,” they could be heard saying. “Open this door.”
The passenger reached past the divider and started punching the driver and grabbing the bus’s controls.
The driver was forced to defend himself.
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The operator was winning the fight but took pity on the passenger.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” the driver told him. “I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you because you are a passenger.”
The man finally walked off the bus.
Channel 9 asked CATS if the operator is facing any disciplinary action. We have not heard back yet.
No one was seriously injured.
Stepping up security
CATS has addressed safety issues and it has made changes.
It switched security companies so there has been an improvement in safety at the transit center in Uptown.
There is additional personnel to help with customer service.
VIDEO: City leaders, CATS drivers discuss safety changes after driver hit by stray bullet
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