BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Dangerous acts hindering the safe driving of public transport will be treated as a crime of "endangering public security with dangerous methods," according to a new guideline issued by authorities.
Acts include "wresting navigation equipment such as a steering wheel or gear lever and attacking and pulling drivers," the official document notes, vowing heavy penalties for acts like "assaulting a public transport driver with a weapon."
If a public transport driver has a dispute with a passenger, and the driver fails to adhere to safe driving rules or engages to fight the passenger, he or she will also be punished for committing a crime of "endangering public security," the guideline adds.
The document was jointly issued by the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security.
During a meeting on ensuring the safety of public buses held in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday, the Ministry of Public Security vowed to investigate any violent acts that hinder the safe driving of buses in China.
A fight between a driver and a passenger caused a bus to plunge into the Yangtze River and killed more than a dozen on board in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Oct. 28, 2018.
