Bus driver who stayed calm amid passenger attack gets top honour

He is among 27 recipients of top award at event celebrating exemplary transport workers

- Esther Loi

Tower Transit bus driver Tham Kok Poi had to endure three punches to his face and a torrent of verbal abuse while maintaining control of the bus as an emotionally unstable passenger attacked him and tried to grab the steering wheel.

With no time to react or make sense of the situation, he had one thing on his mind: to maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel and ensure the safety of some 50 passengers on the bus.

"When I was driving, I didn't feel anything. I just knew I had to stay calm," said the 50-year-old Malaysian bus driver in Mandarin.

"It was only after the incident when I had time to reflect on it that I felt fear. At the time (of the incident), I was just so worried that the passenger would take control of the steering wheel."

Despite that, Mr Tham, a bus driver of six years, stayed calm and focused on driving safely before letting all the passengers alight at the next stop.

The passenger had turned violent because he wanted to alight from the bus, service 969, in the middle of Seletar Expressway, growing more agitated when Mr Tham told him he was unable to stop the bus before reaching the next stop in Punggol.