A bus driver was suspended in the northern city of Bologna after he allegedly insulted, attacked and injured an 18-year-old Moroccan-Italian girl at the weekend for taking too long to get off at the terminal.
"Given the very serious incident on Saturday evening, the bus driver concerned has been suspended pending a formal investigation," the local Typer bus company said in a statement.
"We will offer our maximum cooperation to police to shed light on exactly what happened," the statement added.
The driver swore at the girl and kicked her in the back as she got off the bus with her friends at the terminal in Castel Maggiore, on the outskirts of Bologna, according to eyewitnesses.
The girl was admitted to hospital and kept in overnight after she sustained severe bruising to her back and abdomen in the attack.
Doctors said she would take 40 days to recover from her injuries.
The girl is of Moroccan ancestry but was born and grew up in Italy.
