Updated: Mon Aug. 18 2008 6:21:32 PM

ctvtoronto.ca

A public transit commuter attacked a Toronto bus driver with a hammer while riding in the city's west end on Monday morning.

Police say the incident occurred just after 11 a.m. on bus route 108A in the Grandravine Drive and Driftwood Avenue area in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood.

A woman, reportedly wearing a red wig, began screaming at the female bus driver for not pulling over at her stop.

"She took a hammer and hit down over and over," said Irena Fodor, a passenger on the bus. "Who carries a hammer in public?"

The driver's hands are now swollen with injuries. Fodor and other passengers on the bus came to her rescue, restraining a female suspect until police arrived.

Those who came to the driver's rescue also suffered minor injuries but none of them are considered life-threatening.

"I jumped in and was holding her and she was pinching me and scratching me," Fodor told CTV Toronto.

The driver, who is in hospital for treatment, is also expected to recover from her injuries.

Police spoke to the victim and witnesses to see what, if anything, provoked the attack.

Chelsea Simon, 23, faces six charges, including assault and assault with a weapon.

Assaults on operators are on the increase, according to the TTC. The attack has prompted TTC officials to push for the installation of protective barriers around drivers. A design should be ready by the fall.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said the design needs to please everyone.

"There are some who say no, some who say yes, but we feel we have to protect employees from assault so we are working on a design that's accepted by everyone."

Some people have complained about the idea of a protective barrier, saying it will make TTC staff feel as if they're caged in.

Security cameras, already prevalent at subway stops and some buses, will be a permanent fixture on all TTC vehicles by next February.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness