Passenger witnesses verbal assault on Cleveland RTA bus during morning commute

CLEVELAND - A man reportedly verbally assaulted a RTA bus driver for more than 20 minutes during Friday morning's commute. The incident was the latest in a string of recent RTA conflicts involving drivers and passengers.

“It was really scary,” said passenger BerDetta Ballard.

Ballard said she witnessed the confrontation that happened on bus route 81. The man reportedly boarded the bus shortly after 6 a.m. at MetroHealth Medical Center and demanded that the female driver take him to a destination not on the bus route.

“The guy just started going off,” said Ballard, who said that he continued to yell at the driver until police escorted him off the bus at West Side Market.

RTA told NewsChannel5 the female driver and man had a relationship, and it continues to investigate. The transit authority also released a statement Friday stating its concern about the recent escalation of assaults and its commitment to addressing the issue.

Friday’s altercation came just one day after a passenger punched an RTA bus driver at East 114th Street and Union Avenue.

“My nose, my jaw hurts where I bit the inside of my mouth where I got punched,” said driver Greg Vranekovic.

Earlier this week, RTA bus driver Artis Hughes was fired for upper-cutting a disgruntled female passenger in September.

“It’s just getting dangerous,” said passenger Robin Kimple, who rides RTA regularly. Kimple said she’s experienced driver-passenger conflicts firsthand.

But other regulars, like Esteban Mendoza, had no complaints about the safety of the city’s transportation system.

“It’s always a good commute to work and a good commute back home,” Mendoza said.

Ballard, who experienced a similar incident on a RTA bus less than a month ago, said she won’t be taking the bus back home and hopes to find a new way to work.

“I just can’t do this because it’s scary,” she said.