Two UB students claim they were assaulted and harassed by a Buffalo Motor Coach bus driver after he refused them a free ride he allegedly promised. The driver, however, claims it was he, not the students, who was assaulted.
"The [students'] claims are not true," said Dale Bregger, owner of Buffalo Motor Coach. "The student threatened to kill the driver, then assaulted him."
According to Seung Lee, one of the students who claims he was assaulted, the problem began on Feb. 4. He and his girlfriend, Sungoo Lee, boarded the bus and deposited their fares. They were supposedly told that the last bus would return from the mall in 30 minutes.
"I decided not to go. I asked for refund and the driver refused. He said that he would give me a free ride next time. I asked for a receipt, but he wouldn't give me one," said Seung Lee.
On Feb. 9, the two students boarded a bus with the same driver.
"I told the driver that I wouldn't pay, I had already paid before. He claimed he didn't remember me," said Seung Lee. "We argued and he finally said, ‘OK. Pay 60 cents [two fares for the price of one].' Then, he said we could ride back to campus for free. When we arrived at the mall, I asked him for a returning ticket. He said, ‘No, get out!'"
"Pay or get out!"
When the students returned for the ride home, Seung Lee again refused to pay.
"I sat down in the middle of the bus and the driver told me ‘Pay or get out!'" Seung Lee said.
"It wasn't a matter of money. It was the principle," Seung Lee said. "I said, ‘No, I'm not going to pay again. I paid already.' Then, he grabbed me by the neck of my sweater and pulled me to the door. I asked him repeatedly to let go, but he wouldn't. When I tried to leave the bus, the driver hit me in the head, so I hit him back, in self-defense."
Seung Lee claims that after he left the bus, the driver closed the door behind him and would not let his girlfriend leave. "When she tried to get off, the driver pulled her hair, knocking her down. I finally pulled the door open so she could get out," Lee recalled.
"After we left the bus," continued Seung Lee, "I went to a phone booth to call the police. The driver chased after us."
According to Seung Lee, the bus driver was cursing and yelling racial slurs.
Buffalo Motor Coach told a different version.
"It's not our policy to promise free rides," said Bregger. "The student refused to pay the fare or leave the bus," he continued. "Then, the student threatened to kill the driver and assaulted him."
Bregger also claimed that the driver did not resist or retaliate in any way.
Bregger added that the driver asked for student identification, but the student refused to provide it.
"It is normal procedure," he said.
Bus service to the mall has stopped since the incident. Tim Mittlefelt, general manager for Buffalo Motor Coach, said the service will resume once parts to repair the door are received, possibly Monday. Campus Bus Service has not been notified of the interruption.
"I will call them when I get around to it," Mittlefelt said.
Charges filed
Charges of assault and harassment have been filed in the Town of Amherst against Buffalo Motor Coach and the driver, whom the company refuses to identify. Bregger said that if he is officially notified of the charges against the driver, charges will also be pressed against the student.
Nathan Hersch, Student Association director of student affairs, is outraged by the incident, claiming he will look into the banning of the bus company from campus.
"We are in the State of New York. We have a right to remove this service from campus. The university should have a right to regulate these services," he said. "SA won't stop until the full results are reached. At worst, we will boycott the service."
Bregger criticized the students' intended actions, claiming it would be blowing the incident out of proportion.
"The service basically belongs to the students. When one student damages a bus, all students suffer. It would be in everyone's best interest to support this service," he said.
E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
