A Kelowna man is wishing he didn't have to use a city bus to get to and from work after he says he was sexually assaulted while riding public transit last week.
Michael Waldner says he was riding the bus in the Pandosy area when he was "assaulted by a woman who rubbed my neck and made sexual comments."
The incident happened Saturday, July 8. Waldner tells Castanet he was going to Urban Fare to buy groceries around 9 p.m. when the incident happened.
"I did not consent to her disgusting hands touching me," Waldner said.
Kelowna RCMP confirm they are investigating the incident.
"The file number is 2023-39053. This matter is being investigated by police as a sexual assault and we are currently securing CCTV from the bus," says RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Michael Gauthier.
Waldner further described the incident to Castanet.
"This lady was, no, I'm sorry, I won't say lady. This woman was on the bus, sitting beside me and I felt her hand at the back of my neck and she started rubbing and massaging my neck," he said. "So I said to her, 'do not touch me.' And then she had some pretty vulgar things about what she wanted to do to me."
His stop soon came up and he exited the bus, but the more he thought about it, the more upset he got.
"I just thought, this isn't right and that's an attack," said Waldner, explaining he hopes the woman gets charged.
Once he finished his shopping he got back on the same bus, with the same driver, and told driver what happened. The driver reported the incident to BC Transit and Waldner called the police.
Waldner says he's not afraid and he will continue to ride BC Transit buses, because he has no vehicle or other way to get to work, but the incident made him uncomfortable, "she just had no right to do that whatsoever.
"I want people to know how unsafe BC Transit can be. I mean, there were other people on that bus and she still had no problem doing it."
