The union representing Metro Vancouver transit bus drivers is offering up to $15,000 for information leading to a conviction in the case of a man who allegedly assaulted a bus driver Monday night.

“We are not going to take this anymore,” said Unifor Local 111 president Nathan Woods. “Assaults against transit operators or users is not acceptable and this will hopefully put a stop to it.”

Assaults against bus drivers were up 15 per cent in 2013 and the union announced it would increase the reward leading convictions of assaults on drivers. 

“It’s not anything that anyone of our drivers deserves or the riders,” said Woods who added the reward system is based on the Crime Stoppers model, which pays money to callers to their tip lines if it leads to a conviction.

Transit Police continue to investigate the most recent incident, which occurred just before 11 p.m. Monday in Surrey.

The man boarded the bus at 168th Street and Fraser Highway, and Transity Police said the suspect was wearing headphones, singing, and swearing. The bus driver's union said the man was making derogatory comments towards the driver, including racial slurs.

When the driver made an announcement for passengers not to swear, the man directed his aggression towards the driver.

As the bus pulled into Surrey Central, the man approached the driver, punched him and took his sunglasses before running off the bus.

The driver followed him into the waiting area where the alleged attacker punched him again.  The driver then headed back to his coach where the suspect returned only to punch him a third time.

The suspect then fled onto the SkyTrain as transit police arrived.  They tracked him with a police dog for over an hour but eventually lost the trail.

The driver, suffering from cuts and abrasions, was treated at the scene by ambulance attendants.

According to transit police, not much is known about the alleged attacker.

“We don't know much about this individual,” Goodmurphy said. “We have some video footage that we will be reviewing for our investigation and at this point in time we don't have any ID as far as who is he, or what his motives were in this instance.”

The suspect is described as a white male in his 30s, 5’6” to 5’8”in height, and 160 pounds with black hair, a short beard, and was wearing a white tracksuit.

Anyone with more information is asked to call Transit Police at 604-515-8300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Maria Weisgarber.