“A SAD indictment of modern society.”

That was the reaction of one union representative after a bus driver was attacked in Bournemouth.

Simon Fisher was driving the 1b bus between Southbourne and Bournemouth on Tuesday afternoon when, as the bus went through Boscombe, a passenger became abusive.

Simon, 51, who has worked for Yellow Buses for three years, had just pulled away from the bus stop near the Percy Shelley pub when the man said he wanted to get off. He said: “He was talking incoherently so I said he was free to get off. He walked back up the bus and I was keeping half an eye on what he was doing.

“He came up to the front of the bus again and said he wanted to get off. I said he couldn’t get off going into traffic.

“He said if I didn’t let him off he would start having a go at me.

“ I said he would be much safer getting off 100 yards up the road.

“He reached into the security screen and grabbed my arm.”

At that point, by which time Simon had pulled over, passengers pulled the man off him and he made an emergency call.

Simon, from Winton, added: “He pulled himself free and got off the bus, never to be seen again.

“It’s the first time something like that has ever happened to me.

“What I did was to try to look after him, look after my passengers and look after myself.”

Simon said the incident hasn’t put him off his job.

“You don’t worry about it – it’s no more than if you’re walking down the road.”

Janet Wall, Unite union branch secretary for Yellow Buses, said: “We face many dangers on a day to day basis, driving buses you pick up such a wide variety of members of the public.

“They could be drunk, they could be mentally ill, they could be high on drugs.

“Sometimes it’s experience that teaches you to deal with situations but sometimes it can get out of hand.

“We have assault screens fitted to minimise the chance of attack and they are largely successful.

“We have successfully prosecuted people in the past who have assaulted bus drivers.

“It’s a sad indictment of modern society that we have to go down this line, but that’s the way it is across the country.”

One passenger on the bus, Alexa Pereira, 52, said: “The driver remained so calm throughout the incident and even after being attacked.

“He got out of his booth and turned around to make sure all his passengers were safe.

“I was absolutely blown away by his calmness and regard for all his passengers on board.”

Derek Lott, MD of Yellow Buses, said: “I am extremely proud of Simon for the calm and collected way he handled a very disturbing, and no doubt traumatic, situation.

“Bus driving is a very responsible job. Drivers have the safety of their passengers as their first priority which Simon clearly demonstrated during this difficult incident.”

Andrew Wickham, MD at Wilts and Dorset, said that there were three recorded assaults last year on the team of 250 drivers, adding: “Given that we carry many million people each year, the number of assaults our staff suffer is thankfully low.

“Our fleet is fitted with CCTV and various other security features.”