A gay couple from London have told the Evening Standard that they were told to stop kissing or get off the bus.
The couple who were travelling on the number 89 at around 10:30 PM near Blackheath have told that the bus driver had a homophobic rant after the pair shared a ‘peck’ on the lips.
Jack James, 23, and his boyfriend are reporting that the driver said, “Oi, you two don’t do that on my f**king bus or you can get off, I don’t want to watch that.”
The incident happened on the 8th August 2014.
According to the Standard, the pair didn’t realise that the driver was talking to them and asked for clarification. The driver reportedly replied, “Yes, it’s my bus it is my rules and I don’t want to watch that, it’s disgusting, get off the bus.”
Mr James, has also stated that the driver told them to ‘f**k off’ and that they weren’t real men. Mr. James has said that he is considering reporting the incident to the police.
Mr James said,
“We were chatting away when my partner gave me a peck on the lips. The bus driver shouted ‘Oi you two don’t do that on my f****** bus or you can get off, I don’t want to watch that’. When the bus stopped at our stop I walked up to the driver and politely asked the driver if he was talking to us. His reply was ‘Yes, it’s my bus, it is my rules and I don’t want to watch that, it’s disgusting, get off the bus’. Once we got off the bus we were fuming and I was shaking. The bus stopped again and he shouted and told us we were not real men and we should f*** off.”
Ken Davidson, TfL’s Head of Bus Operations, told the Standard,
“All customers have the right to use our services without fear of being abused and offensive behaviour is completely unacceptable. We would like to reassure Mr James that this matter is being taken very seriously and that a thorough investigation is being conducted by Go Ahead.”
In August the police appealed for witnesses to a homophobic attack on a London train, which happened between Charing Cross and Bexleyheath
