Passenger: CTA bus driver pulled knife on me

Well I must say that this is unacceptable customer service and this is certainly not a problem the CTA needs right now:

Brian Harroun, 45, of the 15400 block of Begonia Court in Orland Park said he was on his way to a carpentry job when he boarded a southbound No. 1 Indiana/Hyde Park bus about 9:55 a.m. near 16th Street and South Michigan Avenue.

When he tried to use his CTA card, it came back “invalid,’’ Harroun said. He told the driver CTA personnel had told him in the past that if he encountered problems with the card, he should ask the driver to call a supervisor.

But the driver -- described as a “light skinned black woman’’ -- became irate, used an expletive and disputed his statement. “She told me to shut up and go to the back of the bus,’’ Harroun said.

Harroun said when he pressed a buzzer near 27th Street to signal he wanted off at 28th, she wouldn’t stop. Harroun said he went to the front of the bus and asked, “Now you’re not letting me off the bus?”

The driver stopped the bus at 29th Street and allegedly pulled a black-handled knife with a 5-inch blade, Harroun said.

“She had it on the side of her, pointing at me,’’ according to Harroun, who said he began kicking the door to get out and the driver repeated several times, “I dare you to do something.”

Harroun finally got off the bus and called 911, then went to a nearby police station to file a report.

It should be noted that CTA drivers are not allowed to carry knives. The driver has been take off duty pending an investigation. A police sergeant said that it's possible that the driver got scared and that the passenger, Harroun was acting in a belligerent fashion.