News Digest

'It's disgusting': Kissing gay couple 'thrown off London bus by angry driver'

Transport chiefs have launched an investigation after a gay couple were reportedly thrown off a bus for kissing. Jack James, 23, said he and his partner were ordered off a number 89 bus near Blackheath in south east London by the driver, who subjected them to a volley of abuse. Event co-ordinator Mr James, from Greenwich in south east London, told London’s Evening Standard: “We were chatting away when my partner gave me a peck on the lips. The bus driver shouted ‘Oi, you two, don’t do that on my f****** bus or you can get off, I don’t want to watch that’.”

Once we got off the bus we were fuming and I was shaking. The bus stopped again and he shouted and told us we were not real men and we should f*** off.

Jack James

Mr James said that, initially, the couple thought the driver could not be speaking to them. He added: “When the bus stopped at our stop I walked up to the driver and politely asked the driver if he was talking to us. His reply was ‘Yes, it’s my bus, it is my rules, and I don’t want to watch that. It’s disgusting. Get off the bus’.” The alleged incident happened on August 8 at around 10.30pm. Ken Davidson, Transport for London’s head of bus operations, said all customers had the right to use its services without fear of being abused, and revealed a thorough investigation is now being conducted by bus company Go Ahead.”