Transport for London has launched an investigation after a Jewish passenger reported being trapped on a bus for more than an hour by a driver who allegedly made antisemitic remarks and
withheld his bank card.
David Abraham, whose video of the incident has circulated widely on social media, said his card slipped behind the driver’s partition after he tapped to pay. In the footage, he can be heard repeatedly asking the driver to return it.
“My own card — I’m begging the driver to give me my bank card. He doesn’t want to give me my card. I don’t know what is going on,” Abraham says in the video. He claims the driver told him he “hates Jewish people” and refused to retrieve the card despite its accessible position.
Abraham, who is originally from Africa, expresses disbelief at the abuse: “I’m very surprised to see a Black man hating another Black man because I’m Jewish. It’s very sad.”
The video’s caption alleges that the driver locked Abraham on the bus for over an hour and accused him of “looking like a Mossad agent.” Additional footage shows the driver silent and unresponsive both to Abraham and to bystanders who attempted to intervene.
The incident is believed to have taken place on a route 67 bus, which serves the heart of Stamford Hill’s Jewish community. The bus was reportedly brought to a stop at Dalston Junction, where the driver changed the route number from 67 to 149.
Speaking to Jewish News, Abraham said the experience has left him fearful of using buses: “I’m scared now to go on the bus… I start to panic. It affects me.” He added that antisemitism has been a lifelong burden: “Since I was young, people discriminate against me for being Jewish… I didn’t choose to be Jewish — I was born like this.”
Andrew Gilbert, Vice President of the Board of Deputies, called the allegations “very concerning,” particularly given the route’s service to the Haredi community. The organisation has requested a full account from TfL, including information on driver training for routes in Jewish areas.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism described the claims as “shocking” and “potentially criminal,” urging both TfL and the police to take “robust action.”
In a statement, TfL said: “We are concerned to hear of these allegations and are supporting the bus operator, Arriva, who are investigating. We take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of hate crime and work with the police to pursue anyone who is abusive to our customers or staff. We encourage anyone who experienced or witnessed this incident to contact the police.” Photo by Au Morandarte from Chiswick/Romford, London, England, Wikimedia commons.