'Aggressive' passenger who refused to leave Victoria bus removed by police

Victoria police removed an unruly passenger from a BC Transit bus in Victoria's Fernwood neighbourhood on Friday morning.

BC Transit says police were called to a bus near the intersection of Fernwood Road and Bay Street because a customer was "acting in an aggressive manner."

Police arrived and say the passenger initially refused to leave. Eventually, officers were able to de-escalate the situation and get the passenger off the bus, according to VicPD.

"No injuries or major issues," said Victoria police in a social media post Friday.

BC Transit tells CTV News that such incidents are rare aboard its buses, but when they do occur the company takes the incidents seriously and works with police on the legal process for complaints.

Anyone who sees inappropriate or illegal activity aboard a BC Transit bus, or who is the victim of such behaviour, is encouraged to speak with the driver or call police.

"BC Transit’s top priority is safety, and we work hard to improve safety on board our buses for customers and drivers," said the company in a statement Friday.

BC Transit notes that it has surveillance cameras on most of its buses and that it has protocols in place for emergency situations onboard buses.

The transit operator also says it has partnerships with first responders to make sure there's quick response times to transit-related incidents.