‘Appalling:’ Police investigating tirade against TTC bus operator that was captured on video

Toronto police are investigating a 30-minute long tirade towards a female TTC bus driver that was filmed by a man and posted online.

Toronto police are investigating a 30-minute long tirade towards a female TTC bus driver that was filmed by a man and posted online.

“It’s horrible, it’s absolutely demoralizing while you’re trying to do your job,” Marvin Alfred, president ATU local 113, told CTV News Toronto in an interview. “It’s tough to watch that interview.”

Alfred said on Sept. 6 a male customer tried to board the 125 Drewry bus at Bathurst who immediately lost his composure and began attacking the driver in a “verbally abusive” fashion.

The union believes the attack was racially motivated and have identified the operator as a Black woman.

“The individual just kept going on and on and on at them, attacking them, using racist language, in misogynist terms, just kept on attacking her,” Alfred said.

The half-hour long video viewed by CTV News Toronto shows the bus stopped with passengers waiting inside the bus and outside the bus at a stop. The male trying to board uses profane language repeatedly, hurls insults, complaining the operator won’t let him board the bus.

“I’m a taxpayer with a Presto card that paid the fare and she won’t let me on the bus,” he said multiple times in the video.