SEPTA bus driver beaten by two who don't want to pay fare

In tough economic times, people will do anything to save a buck.

But two thugs apparently took that to the extreme when they pummeled a 47-year-old SEPTA bus driver to avoid paying their fare, police said yesterday.

In a surveillance video released yesterday, the two young men are seen arguing with the driver when they board the Route 124 bus at the King of Prussia Mall on April 2.

"The bus driver allows them to travel on the bus in an agreement that they would pay the fare upon arrival," said Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman. As they approached 12th and Market streets in Center City about an hour later, they began arguing with the driver again, Vanore said.

The verbal tiff over two $3.50 fares quickly turned into a barrage of punches, mainly by one of the attackers, Vanore said.

"There was really no need for that," Vanore said of the beating. "These are two thugs, obviously, and we need to get them off the street."

The driver, who suffered head and face injuries, has not returned to work, according to SEPTA officials.

The assailant who threw most of the punches is described as black, 16 to 19 years old, about 5 feet 5, thin, and wearing a blue jacket with a white stripe. The other is described as black, 17 to 19, 5 feet 9, with a husky build.

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