THE driver of a Metro bus hijacked and set alight by rioters in west Belfast was ordered off the bus, along with his passengers, before it was petrol-bombed.
The double-decker 11B bus, which operates along the Shankill Road, was hijacked and torched at the junction of Lanark Way and the Shankill at around 7.20pm on Wednesday.
Translink drivers in Belfast staged a protest yesterday morning following the attack.
Buses were parked in the city centre as drivers gathered at city hall to express solidarity with their colleague.
Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) assistant general secretary Owen Reidy said the demonstration was on behalf of the entire trade union movement.
"Theirs is an act of generosity towards their fellow bus driver who was shockingly attacked last evening and towards the brave police officers and journalists who were also assaulted while doing their job and serving the community," he said.
"Workers across Northern Ireland will not accept being the subject of attacks when going about their duties."
Translink's Director of Service Operations, Ian Campbell, told The Irish News the bus was stopped, masked youths got on board, and ordered the driver and passengers to leave.
"No one was hurt but were clearly shocked," he said.
"The driver made his way from the scene and was taken back to the depot where he was looked after. He was unhurt but very badly shaken by the ordeal."
Dozens of Translink services were suspended or diverted last night, including services operating along the Antrim Road and Shore Road.
Mr Campbell said the company carries out safety assessments based on information from its own staff and police and makes "judgement calls based on whether services need to be re-routed or diverted or suspended based on what information we have".
"The incident on the Shankill Road last night escalated very quickly," he said.
"The decision on whether we run services or not is down to our first priority, which is the safety of staff and passengers."
Mr Campbell said the driver is being supported by his colleagues and Translink management.
"We have professional welfare support so he will receive that," he said.
"We have been holding a series of meetings with the PSNI and are working closely with them to ensure the safety of services over the coming days."
Mr Campbell said feelings amongst front-line staff were "running high at the minute".
"They did hold a protest at city hall to air their dissatisfaction with the level of violence that we saw," he said.
He said the company met senior union officials yesterday to discuss staff and passenger safety.
"We are frustrated that having served all elements of the community through the pandemic we now find ourselves having to curtail services because of this mindless violence," he said.
Mr Campbell thanked members of the public who have voiced their support following the attack.
"The level of violence that we saw last night is far more significant than we have seen in recent years," he said.
He added: "We'd like to thank the general public for their messages of concern and support."
