A 19 year old Transperth passenger has claimed to have encountered inappropriate questions and propositions from a bus driver whilst making his way from Cannington to Sherwood Station on a rail replacement bus.
On the morning of June 9th, the young man boarded the replacement bus, he alleges questions from the driver started shortly after he took a seat at the front of the bus.
The passenger estimated the bus driver to be in his late 50s, he accounts the questions beginning with where he had been the previous night.
“He asked me where I went clubbing and I told him I went to Connections… he asked if gay people went there so I said ‘yes’, he asked if I was gay so I answered and then he asked if I had a partner and I thought it was getting too strange so I kind of stopped answering from then”, he explained.
Following a period of silence, the bus driver allegedly began asking the young man to come to the front to talk, after refusing; he encountered more questions whilst trying to get off.
“I got to my stop and then I went to get off the bus, I walked to the door and he stopped the bus and the doors didn’t open. There were still two other people on the bus at this point. He said, ‘Can I get your number?’ I felt so awkward, so I just didn’t turn to him and said ‘no sorry’, he asked again and wouldn’t open the doors so I said ‘sorry you can’t have my number’, he said ‘oh, okay’, opened the doors and I got off”.
Claiming that the driver didn’t initially drive off, the young man walked in the opposite direction to his house in fear of being followed.
In response to these claims Transperth told OUTinPerth that they have not managed to source an official complaint, they also stated,
“Drivers undergo a police clearance before being employed and each bus company ensures their drivers undergo an extensive period of customer service training (which includes professional standards) before they go out on the road”.
OIP Staff
