Dozens of passengers experienced moments of panic Thursday aboard a Kavim bus traveling from Ashdod to Modi'in Illit after a confrontation between the driver and a passenger escalated, resulting in a bus window being shattered while the vehicle was in motion.
According to passenger accounts, the incident began when a father traveling with his children pressed the stop button so his wife could board at the next stop. The driver allegedly failed to stop and continued driving.
When the passenger approached the driver and asked why he had skipped the stop, an argument broke out and quickly escalated.
Passengers said the driver initially asked for quiet but soon lost his temper. During the confrontation, a bus window was shattered in front of the shocked passengers.
Footage filmed inside the bus and circulated on social media shows passengers scrambling from their seats in panic. Young children can be heard crying and screaming in fear following the loud noise.
The driver subsequently pulled the bus over, and passengers waited until a replacement driver arrived and continued the journey to Modi'in Illit.
Passengers who spoke to Mako sharply criticized the driver's conduct.
"The children were frightened and started crying," one passenger said.
Other passengers said such behavior was unacceptable for a public transportation driver and called for those responsible to be held accountable and for measures to be taken to prevent similar incidents.
The Transportation Ministry and National Public Transportation Authority said they "view with the utmost severity any incident of violence or behavior that could endanger the safety of passengers and the public."
Following the report, Transportation Ministry Director General Moshe Ben-Zaken spoke with relevant officials and instructed them to immediately investigate the circumstances, hold those involved accountable as necessary, and take all measures required to protect public safety.
According to the ministry, police arrived at the scene and began handling the incident.
Kavim informed the authority that the driver had been immediately suspended pending completion of the investigation. The company was also instructed to submit a detailed report on the circumstances of the incident and the findings, including any disciplinary measures to be taken.
"The authority will continue to closely monitor the handling of the incident and ensure that all necessary measures are taken to safeguard the safety of passengers, the public and public transportation employees," the statement said.