London bus driver suspended after locking in Orthodox man, saying 'I don't like Jews'

After a back and forth, Abraham asked some other passengers to help.

"They were nervous and they [asked the driver] why he was behaving like that," he claimed.

Abraham said that all the other passengers ended up disembarking due to the row, and that he was also ordered to leave by the driver.

"He told me to get out [and leave the card] and said, 'If you don't get out, I will lock you in the bus'. I didn't, and he locked me in the bus."

Abraham claimed he was locked inside for around an hour, during which he recorded a video of himself pacing up and down the bus, clearly anxious, and continuing to ask for his card. The driver can be seen in the video, apparently ignoring him.

He claimed: "The police came and [asked the driver] 'why won't you give him his bank card' and he said, 'I can't give it, if you want to give it to him you have to open the door and give it to him'.” 

"The police opened the cabin door, took my bank card and gave it to me."

Abraham said that the police officers had to leave to attend another incident, but he later reported the abuse to the Met.

"I was very traumatised. I haven't been sleeping well. I'm wondering why he was behaving like this. I did nothing to him. I was very shocked. I panicked, and I was scared. I'm not safe,” he told the JC.

TfL has now suspended the bus driver whilst an investigation takes place. It said: "We are concerned to hear of these allegations and are supporting the bus operator, Arriva, who are investigating.

"We take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of hate crime, and work with the police to pursue anyone who is abusive to our customers or staff.

"We encourage anyone who experienced or witnessed this incident to contact the police.”

Commenting on the allegations, Andrew Gilbert, vice president of the Board of Deputies, told the JC: We have asked Transport for London (TfL) for a full account. That this bus driver was on a route that serviced the Haredi community in Stamford Hill is very concerning. We have asked TfL not just for a report on the specifics but on the training of bus drivers who service routes in Jewish areas.

"This, beyond the specific awful incident, asks the question of what cultural sensitivity and competence and antisemitism training is given to drivers who service bus routes that go through Jewish areas."

A spokesperson for the Met said: "On Monday, 27 October at 14:03hrs police were called to reports of a verbal dispute between two men on a bus travelling in Stamford Hill, Hackney.

"Officers attended and made enquiries. No crime was reported at the scene but, the following day, a 52-year-old man reported the incident to police as a hate crime.

"No arrests have been made. An investigation is underway.”