An elderly man has been fined $200 after yet another racist incident on a Sydney bus.
The 72-year-old, from near-city Redfern, swore and hurled racist insults at passengers on the 391 service from Port Botany to the city earlier this week.
He was given an infringement notice and fined for offensive behaviour.
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Details of that incident emerged just two days after a video was posted online showing a 50-year-old woman yelling racist abuse at a young school boy on another Sydney bus.
In that incident, a middle-aged woman hurls a string of abuse at a boy who is standing in the aisle, apparently blocking her view.
“Get the f*** down,” she tells him. “No one can see where they're going, especially when I'm drunk.”
She then unleashes a string of racially-infused insults, at one point telling the high school-aged boy to “get back on your f*** boat and f*** off.”
The tirade continues for more than a minute before the bus driver stops the bus and attempts to diffuse the situation by telling the boys to sit down.
Minutes later, after the woman continues her outburst, he returns and tells her to stop swearing.
'MORE SECURITY NEEDED'
Gary Way, a former bus driver and spokesperson for the Rail, Trains and Buses Union, says drivers are “fairly limited” in what they're able to do when a passenger becomes verbally abusive.
“Unfortunately, we're not security guards. To physically remove someone is not our job and we're not qualified to do it.”
Bus drivers can call for help from security guards or the police, but the speed of response can vary.
“The problem is, if someone is physically assaulting someone the response is very fast. It's good most of the time, but if someone is being racially outspoken and very badly behaved in that sense, unfortunately it doesn't seem to get a quick response, and it should.”
A spokesperson for State Transit told SBS that dedicated Police Transport officers patrol trains, buses and ferries.
"This visible police presence on the transport network is designed to increase safety and security for customers and be the best deterrant against crime."
Mr Way believes more security guards should be placed on bus routes known to be troublesome.
“We've been calling for [that] for years, and more so in recent times,” he says.
“Late at night and on weekends, the busy nightlife areas and… around the beaches in summer, it's a no-brainer.”
The latest racial incident follows a string of racial attacks on public transport across Australia, which have been captured by witnesses on mobile cameras and posted to social media sites.
