A bus driver was physically assaulted in Waterloo on Saturday evening, on the 365 line between Charleroi and Brussels.
The incident occurred on a bus operated by Keolis, a transportation company contracted by TEC, at around 18:00 at the Petit Paris bus stop in the centre of Waterloo. A 32-year-old man from Genappe (Walloon Brabant) got on the bus and an argument ensued between him and the driver.
According to FGTB-UBT union representatives, the dispute began when the passenger, who was boarding with his children, either failed to present or did not have a valid ticket. "The driver informed him that the journey wasn't free. The passenger then punched him in the face," a union spokesperson explained on Monday morning.
The 54-year-old driver from Villers-la-Ville suffered eye injuries and has been declared unfit to work for an initial period of seven days. The Waterloo police confirmed their intervention and issued formal charges for assault and battery.
In solidarity with their colleague, other Keolis drivers based in Genappe, Braine-l'Alleud, and Nivelles have also decided to strike pending the outcome of a meeting with the company's management on Monday morning.
Union representatives also condemned a recent verbal assault on a female driver in Braine-le-Comte around ten days ago.
