Passenger attacks bus inspector in Netanya over ticket check

A bus inspector was attacked and wounded Sunday in Netanya after asking a passenger to show proof of payment, Ynet reported.

The inspector, employed by the Extra transport company, was evacuated to hospital with a bleeding head wound after conducting a routine check on bus line 60 in the city.

According to the report, the passenger boarded the bus without paying. When the inspector approached him and pointed this out, a loud argument broke out that quickly escalated to serious physical violence. The attacker struck the inspector in the head, leaving her in need of urgent medical treatment and evacuation to hospital.

Extra filed an official police complaint following the incident. The company said the attacker's identity is already known to them and to the relevant authorities.

Extra responded with shock to the incident and made it clear that there is and can be no justification for violence of any kind against public transport workers doing their jobs faithfully. The company said it expects the suspect to turn himself in to security forces immediately.

At the same time, the company called on law enforcement authorities to act decisively and with zero tolerance to bring the attacker to justice, to restore a basic sense of security to workers who find themselves on the front lines every day.

This incident joins a long chain of violence, assaults and threats directed regularly at public transport crews in Israel. Many drivers and inspectors report real fear of returning to work, as routine arguments with non-paying passengers quickly turn into serious acts of physical violence.

These incidents endanger not only bus crews but the entire riding public, and bring up once again the public and professional demand to increase policing and enforcement on the various lines.