A 52-year-old man was charged yesterday with voluntarily causing hurt to an SBS Transit bus driver after he boarded the bus without wearing a mask.

Ja'afally Abdul Rahim is accused of causing hurt to bus driver Low Kok Weng along Pasir Ris Drive 1 at about 2.50pm on Tuesday.

He is said to have pushed the driver in the face, causing him to sustain redness there.

He also faces one charge of possessing a knife with a 6cm-long blade, which is an offensive weapon under the law, at that time.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, SBS Transit said that a 52-year-old man had boarded service 21 along Pasir Ris Drive 6 at about 2.45pm the previous day.

The man, who put on his mask only later, began hurling vulgarities at the bus driver, who was not named in the Facebook post by SBS Transit, and continued to do so for the duration of two bus stops.

After the driver stopped the bus in front of Block 210 in Pasir Ris Drive 1 to wait for the police to arrive, the commuter allegedly started physically abusing him.

According to SBS Transit, three men at the bus stop boarded the bus and tackled the man, dragging him out of the bus. They then pinned him down until the police arrived.

The bus driver was taken conscious to Changi General Hospital after the assault and given three days of medical leave.

SBS Transit noted that several of its bus captains have been abused in the last few months for enforcing the strict mask-up rule.

Ja'afally has been granted bail of $15,000 and is expected to be back in court on Oct 8.

If found guilty of voluntarily causing hurt, Ja'afally can be jailed for up to three years and/or fined up to $5,000. Those convicted of possessing an offensive weapon can be jailed up to three years and face at least six strokes of the cane. Ja'afally cannot be caned as he is above 50.