Chinese woman who slapped bus driver jailed for four years
- Passenger in Hainan province lost her temper after argument over fare
- Sentence comes after spate of attacks on public transport, including tragedy in Chongqing
A woman in southern China who assaulted a bus driver has been jailed for four years amid intense scrutiny of people’s behaviour on public transport after a similar incident in Chongqing in October left 15 people dead.
The 29-year-old, surnamed Chen, was tried on Thursday at Meilan District People’s Court in Haikou, Hainan province after being found guilty of endangering public safety, People’s Daily reported on its website.
It did not say if Chen would appeal the sentence.
The assault happened in December after Chen contested the fare quoted by bus driver, Fu Chuanming. He said it was 2 yuan (29 US cents) but Chen said it should be only 1 yuan.
Footage from an on-board surveillance camera showed Chen arguing with Fu before grabbing a small red flag from the front windscreen – a symbol of prestige for bus crews – and throwing it to the floor.