A BUS driver was attacked and robbed by two passengers as they boarded the Number 5 bus in the city centre.

The driver of the red double-decker Oxford Bus Company service to Blackbird Leys was picking up passengers at a stop near the post office in St Aldate’s at about 8pm on Wednesday when two men boarded the bus together.

One of them dropped a coin into the timetable holder and – unable to retrieve it – demanded the driver reimburse him from the till.

When the driver refused a row broke out.

One of the men reached through the partition and tried to grab money from the till and then punched the driver twice in the face as he tried to stop him. The second man grabbed some cash and the pair then fled towards Cornmarket Street.

The men are both described as in their 20s and were of Asian appearance.

One was tall and slim and the other was shorter and dumpier. The shorter man had sparse facial hair and was wearing a black beanie-style hat and a black jacket with a hooded top underneath. The taller man was wearing a black baseball cap with a light logo, and a black quilted jacket with a hooded top underneath.

Dc Dave Rogers said: “This was a nasty and unprovoked attack which must have been witnessed by people waiting at the stop and other passengers who were already on the bus, and we are keen to speak to anyone who saw what happened as soon as possible.”

Police are studying CCTV footage from the bus. Anyone with information should call Dc Rogers on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.