VANCOUVER -- TransLink officials are investigating a video that surfaced online showing an angry screaming match between a bus driver and some passengers.
The video was posted to YouTube Thursday, and the poster tagged Vancouver's Kingsgate Mall as the location, writing it happened around 3 a.m. It's unclear what day it happened.
At the start of the video, a man can be heard saying, "You came on the bus without a mask," and tempers flare.
About 10 seconds into the video, one of the men on the bus says, "Sir, you're being crazy, sir. Please don't do this to us."
The bus driver can be heard replying, "What do you mean crazy? There's a pandemic going on."
The bus driver repeats this a bit later, saying the men are standing too close to him.
"I said stay off the bus until you put a mask on," he can be heard saying.
The poster wrote that it "was clearly one sided (so) I decided to speak up for the guys. I take a stand for common decency when I'm out in public, but I try to pick my battles."
A TransLink spokesperson said the company is aware of the video and that "we have identified the operator and are investigating the incident."
The men can be heard apologizing repeatedly for not wearing a mask right away.
"I didn't understand what you meant, I'm sorry," one is heard saying.
The bus driver questions his misunderstanding.
"You didn't know? For four months we've been wearing masks on a bus."
Face coverings became mandatory on transit on Aug. 24, but just one week ago the province announced sweeping new pandemic protocols including a mandatory mask mandate in all public places.
Anyone found not complying may be subject to a $230 fine which was introduced Tuesday.
By Wednesday afternoon, transit police told CTV News, officers had handed out at least two tickets.
The argument continued for a little longer but ultimately everyone got on the bus, and a warning is heard not to board again without a mask.
