A man in the final stages of converting to Judaism says he was trapped on a London bus for nearly an hour after the driver directed antisemitic slurs at him, refused to return his debit card and prevented him from exiting the vehicle.
The man, who identified himself only as David, was wearing visibly Orthodox Jewish clothing when he boarded the bus and attempted to pay with a debit card. According to David, the driver shouted an antisemitic remark that startled him, causing him to drop his card, which then slid through a gap near the driver’s enclosure—an area inaccessible to passengers but easily reachable for the driver.
A video shared by the passenger from the bus in London, in which he speaks about the driver who mistreated him
David said the driver repeatedly refused to return his card, allegedly stating it was because he was Jewish. Video footage posted online shows David pleading with the driver for several minutes. The driver ignored the appeals, and eventually all other passengers left the bus. David was then allegedly locked inside alone for nearly an hour.
During the confrontation, David recounted that the driver expressed open hostility toward Jews. When David questioned the treatment, noting that both of them were black, the driver allegedly responded with accusations of being a Mossad agent and reiterated his refusal to return the card.
David alerted a friend, who contacted the police. Only when officers arrived did the driver return the card and allow him to exit the bus.
A Jewish lawyer from the community, who recently experienced antisemitic vandalism himself when mezuzahs were ripped from his home, has volunteered to assist David in filing a legal claim against the bus company.
The incident adds to growing concerns about the safety of visibly Jewish individuals in London, particularly amid rising antisemitism in the UK.