In a Facebook post, Thomas Fann, from the NGO, Engage, said the incident happened while he was travelling to Johor Bahru from Kuala Lumpur, when the bus stopped at a traffic light along Jalan Sungai Ujong, Seremban.

“The light had turned green and all the other vehicles had moved but our bus remained stationary for about 10 minutes.

“Puzzled, I went to the front of the bus to investigate and found the driver soundly asleep.”

Fann said he had to shake the bus driver firmly a few times before he woke up.

He said he told all the other passengers what had happened and they were all alarmed and concerned for their safety as the bus proceeded on the journey.

“I called the bus company and informed them what happened and requested for a change of driver.”

Fann said a few minutes later, the bus driver stopped near the Seremban toll plaza. He claimed that the driver tried to pull him out of his seat.

“He wanted me to get off the bus for making the complaint and when I refused, he suddenly punched me in my left eye.

“The other passengers held him back but he continued to hurl verbal abuses at me and tried to hit me again.”

The driver continued on the journey and Fann got off the bus when it stopped for a toilet break at Pagoh. He managed to get on another bus to continue his trip to Johor Bahru.

He then lodged a report on the incident at the Johor Bahru police station.

“Bus companies must properly vet their drivers to ensure the safety of their passengers is not compromised,” Fann said.

Apart from making a police report, Fann said he had also lodged a complaint with Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and was also considering legal action against the bus company.