Police want to speak to cyclist who was allegedly punched in face by Manchester bus driver

Police would like to speak to a cyclist who was allegedly punched in the face by a bus driver following a collision on Manchester’s Oxford Road at around 8am on Friday.

The incident was reported to police and the bus company Stagecoach by witness Katya Lamb. Writing on Facebook, she said that the incident occurred at the top of Oxford Road, heading into the city centre, right by the flyover.

There were suggestions from one passenger that the cyclist had ‘cut up’ the bus. According to Lamb, that woman subsequently admitted encouraging the driver to punch the cyclist.

“I heard the crack when it connected,” she wrote. She said she thought the blow had broken the cyclist’s eye socket such was the severity and speed of the swelling.

“I will never forget his face,” said Lamb, referring to the bus driver. “Or the moment I saw the realisation in his face about what he’d done and was probably going to lose his job.

“Especially when he witnessed the exchange between me and the gobby cow and I’d said to her, ‘You quite clearly incited this. Thanks for admitting that.’”

Lamb said she told the driver that he didn’t have to listen to the woman or open his window to punch the cyclist.

“I apologised to him that I had a picture of the bus and was going to use it and report it. That’s when he told me I’d ‘interfered’ enough for one day and to get off his bus so he could get on with his day.

“I wasn’t actually ‘on’ it as I’d just been standing on the pavement at the doorway trying to stop the two passengers who’d been trying to get off to deliver further punishment to the cyclist (one was making it clear he was going to punch him too). I kept them talking to give the cyclist time to get to safety. Mob mentality gone mad.”

Lamb didn’t get the cyclist’s details or give him hers.

She said he was a white male in his early 30s, about 6ft tall. “Serious cycling gear and cyclist build so obviously a well-experienced cyclist. He was wearing black cycling pants, navy fleece with pink and white visibility stripes, black gloves, helmet and ruck sack. He’ll have a huge shiner on his left eye by now (it was swelling in front of my eyes).”

She said she had a swift response from Stagecoach. “They’re horrified one of their drivers acted this way. Already had a response from them to my email that they asked me to send this morning with my picture of the bus in question. They’ve said someone senior will be in touch. No complaint about Stagecoach’s handling of this so far.”

Greater Manchester Police have been approached for comment.