Knife threat and attempted assault highlight safety concerns for Lanzarote bus drivers

Two separate incidents involving bus drivers in Lanzarote over the past week have prompted renewed calls for greater security, including increased police presence at bus stations.

Bus drivers in Lanzarote have been involved in two separate altercations in the past week, including one in Puerto del Carmen in which a minor allegedly threatened a driver with a knife.

According to Ricardo Hernández, CCOO union representative at IntercityBus, the incident took place at around 3am on Sunday.

Hernández said three young men were smoking at the back of the bus, causing a disturbance and bothering other passengers. After receiving complaints, the driver asked the group to behave.

According to Hernández, one of the minors then pulled out a knife and “threatened him.”

Passengers intervened, helping to delay the situation until police arrived and arrested those involved.

A second incident occurred a few days earlier when another bus driver was the target of an attempted assault by a passenger.

According to Hernández, the passenger appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and began eating and drinking on board the bus, despite this being prohibited. After the driver challenged the behaviour, the passenger allegedly attempted to assault him.

Following the two incidents, Hernández said the union is calling on the relevant public authorities and the bus operator to increase police presence at bus stations and transport interchanges across Lanzarote in an effort to deter similar incidents in the future.