A Kelowna bus driver was attacked while driving his bus in Rutland on Friday night.
The assault, at around 8:00 pm, caused the driver to lose control, and the bus crashed into a concrete abutment on Rutland Road North near McCurdy Road.
No other vehicles were involved, and there are no reports of any injuries to the 22 passengers on board.
President of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1722, Scott Lovell, says the driver, who's in his early 50's, suffered a concussion and is recovering.
"His spirits are very high. He's a great guy. He's actually not just a co-worker to me, he's actually also a personal friend. I can tell you he's one of the most amazing, loveable people you'll ever meet," says Lovell.
Kelowna RCMP are investigating the incident - but have released few details. Lovell says the bus was heading northbound on Rutland Road, when the attack occurred, and it swerved into the southbound lanes before crashing off the road into a concrete wall.
Lovell says a driver safety shield would definitely have prevented the attack.
He says safety shields are coming, but designs are still being finalized and there's no timeline on when they'll be installed.
However - Lovell says if 30 per cent of the buses can have the shields installed immediately - that would cover the night shift, as most of these assaults occur after 4:00 pm.