Female passenger assaulted by bus driver after complaining about vulgar music

Apr 14, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – Police yesterday arrested a Zone 42 bus driver who was seen in a video assaulting a female passenger after she complained about his “loud and vulgar music,” Mark Ramotar, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), related to reporters.

The bus driver grabbing Peroune’s cellphone out of her hands.

The bus driver with his hands clasp seconds before assaulting his female passenger.

In an invited comment from Kaieteur News, Ramotar stated yesterday, “I can confirm that the individual/bus conductor was arrested today (yesterday) and is currently in custody at the Ruimveldt Police Station.”
The video of the assault went viral on Monday across the various social media platforms, after the female passenger, Odella Peroune, uploaded it around 19:24 hrs. on her Facebook page.
In the caption of the video Peroune stated, “This morning (early Monday) the music on the bus was so loud and had such explicit language. I asked the driver to turn down the music and this is what happened.”
The video recording showed that Peroune had politely asked the bus driver to turn down his music.
“You could turn down the music please?” she asked.
Instead of the doing so the driver became annoyed and started to quarrel.
Peroune responded, “I just asking you fuh turn down the music. You playing cussing music, indecent language deh in your music. Children deh pon yuh bus.”
In the background, Stylo G’s Touchdown featuring Nicki Minaj and Vybz Cartel was heard blasting through the bus speakers. Unwilling to comply with Peroune’s request, the driver stopped the bus and asked her to exit.
As he left the driver’s seat and made the short walk around to the passenger’s door, Peroune was heard saying, “Me ain’t coming out no bus. Yuh want tek me out. You could pull me out.”
After he opened the door, the bus driver was seen clasping his hands together before grabbing Peroune cellphone out of her hands. That video ended there, however, Peroune subsequently uploaded another video, which showed another male passenger coming to her defence and scolding the bus driver for his wrongful actions. Other passengers were seen scolding him too, while some walked out of his bus.
In an invited comment, Traffic Chief, Ramesh Ashram, told Kaieteur News that the playing of loud music in a minibus is against the law.
“You can’t play loud music, it’s an offence, you could get charged,” he stated.
Ashram related that errant drivers can be charged for breaching their road service license for making loud and continuous noise. He further explained that if a driver is caught by a police rank playing loud music or with a sound system in his bus, he will be charged with breach of his road service license. On the other hand, if a passenger lodges a complaint or makes a report about loud music being played in a minibus, then the driver will be charged for making loud and continuous noise.
Kaieteur News has received numerous reports of instances whereby bus drivers would break the law by playing loud music, but when they see a traffic cop, they would turn it down immediately. As a result of these tricks, Ashram is calling on persons who use public transportation to report such drivers to the police.