Jail for man trying to grab bus steering wheel

A 58-year-old man who grabbed a bus driver's arm and tried to seize the steering wheel during a dispute has been sentenced to one year in jail.

Yi Xilin received a lenient penalty for using dangerous methods to harm public security as he stayed at the site to surrender himself to police, the Jing’an District People’s Court heard Sunday afternoon.

Yi, from Jiangsu Province, got on an intercity bus at Liyang City to travel to Shanghai on February 27 this year, prosecutors said.

However, when the bus passed the entry and exit of a garage at a local coach terminal, Yi had a dispute with the driver, Fang, over the destination. 

During the fight, Yi pulled at Fang's arm and attempted to grab the steering wheel, which forced Fang to stop the bus for a few minutes and call the police.

Yi waited on the bus and was arrested by officers.

Yi told police that he had been cheated by a scalper at the Liyang bus terminal. He had believed the bus would take him to Shanghai South Railway Station. 

When he noticed that the destination was not the railway station, he felt very anxious and argued with the driver.

Yi's lawyer said his client was an inarticulate man who could not express himself well, which triggered the fight.

Yi also gained Fang's forgiveness.