Female Bus Conductor Alleges Assault by Competing Company Employees
A dispute between bus operators in Ladyville Village came to a violent head this morning. A woman bus conductor for Los Lagos Bus Service says she was physically attacked by two men from Serrano’s. New Five Paul Lopez has the story.
Aaliyah Monima, Los Lagos Bus Service
“I was sitting at the bus stop by myself. Nobody was there at around like twelve fifteen and a Serranos bus that marked out of service came. This bus was waiting by the Shell, and it picked up people and dropped it to the bus. I did not do anything. I had my phone out playing a game. And, a man that was on the bus with him came off and was saying a lot of things to me. But I was not paying attention to them I let them talk. The bus came back, he jumped on it, and when the bus came back around and parked a little by the bus stop.”
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Monima alleges that the proprietor of the bus company proceeded to physically attack her at the bus stop shed.
Aaliyah Monima
Aaliyah Monima
“He came out of the bus, and he was blaming me for something I didn’t do, about breaking off his mirror. I do not even drive the bus, I conduct. And he was like I broke off his mirror, so I must pay for it. When will I pay for it? I sat up because his body language showed he was not just coming to talk. The other man came, Mejia came, I do not know his first name. And Serrano’s walk up to me and started punching me in my face. My phone drop and Mejia pick it up. While we were fighting, I stepped back and gone to pick up my phone. Mejia picked it up and say oh “You want this, you want this” and throw it to ih boss, but ih drop. I gawn fuh pick it up and deh push me. While we were fighting, they were telling me, why you know be a man? I am a twenty-two-year-old female, how I wah be a man? Or how unu consider unu self a man?”
Tenisha Serano, the wife of the owner of the Serrano’s Bus Company counters that Monima’s employer has been provoking her employees.
Tenisha Serano, Serano’s Bus Service
“Actually no, I don’t really know what happened at the bus stop this morning. So I can’t say for sure about that. But all I know that we are having conflict at this bus stop from Los Lagos. But, for over five years we have been going through so many things with this person. We have been going through so many court cases. Right now we are going through a case with this young man for assault. Then he has his conductor out there at the bus stop provocation on a daily basis. This young man send out so much WhatsApp messages, so much threats. We go and report it to the police department. We go report it to the transport department nothing. All they say they will investigate it.”
The doctors at the Ladyville Health Center classified Monima’s injuries as harm.
Aaliyah Monima
“As harm, because my face is just hurt and my left arm is swollen. And I was bleeding from the mask, but it didn’t show anything. And it sad what happen because two men beat me up like a man, and police say dah just by the medical report deh wah charge he by, which is just harm.”
Paul Lopez
“The reports of what transpired this morning is alarming, in that allegedly one of your driver and conductor allegedly assaulted a young lady. Is there anything that justifies this type of behavior?”
Tenisha Serano
Tenisha Serano
“Of course not, of course not and I say I was not there so I do not know what happened. But as I say this young man from Los Lagos Bus Service he only want to take one thing and make big thing. That is the way how he do it. The thing is I don’t know because it seems he could get away with anything he do. His road service permit say he is supposed to go to the bus terminal and he does not go to the bus terminal. What is so special about him?”
Paul Lopez
“If you come to find that perhaps one of you driver or conductor is in fact in the wrong here, would they be reprimanded?”
Tenisha Serano
“Of course because I don’t play that. Definitely.”
Reporting for News Five I am Paul Lopez.
