Algonquin College student Matthew Taronno said he felt threatened by a bus driver that verbally abused and threatened him on an OC Transpo bus last week.

Taronno, an active YouTube user himself, can be seen in a YouTube video standing beside the driver on a route 96 bus while a voice can be heard screaming at him to be quiet and get off the bus.

The 20-year-old said he felt threatened by the driver.

"It made me feel uneasy, I didn't know what he would do," he said. "He had a right to say what I did was wrong, but he took it too far."

Taronno said he has a mild form of autism and was reciting a script he had written which contained inappropriate language. He went to the front of the bus to apologize when he said the driver lashed out.

"I wasn't trying to (provoke him,)" he said. "I didn't intend for it to be the way it was . . . I may have been offensive, I feel bad for what I did."

OC Transpo general manager Alain Mercier said in a memo to city council that he apologizes to everyone on the bus.

"Our entire team of employees do not believe in this type of behaviour, but the reality is that the incident appears genuine," he said. "The investigation will be given the utmost attention given the seriousness of the case."

Mercier said the city and OC Transpo have made efforts to improve rider experience such as increasing supervision, starting a "secret shopper" program and giving drivers training every three years on dealing with difficult passengers.

Reaction to the video on Ottawa's streets was that of shock.

"I think there should be serious consequences," said Loren Romei. "You can't just say that to somebody, it's really inappropriate."

"It's terrible," said Brenda Lovett. "I feel awful because the bus driver's out of control, swearing and vulgar language like that."

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson tweeted Sunday he was "disturbed" by the video.

"I can't think of anything that would provoke such vulgar and foul language being used in a public venue like a bus," he said Monday. "It's not acceptable."

Taronno says he hopes driver will be sanctioned

The person who filmed the video said it happened early Thursday morning after Taronno had been rambling to people on the bus.

He said he started filming the incident on his phone because he was afraid a crime would be committed.

Taronno can be seen leaving the bus at a stop, apologizing as he left.

Ottawa's transit union said it wants answers, but any discipline will likely be protected by privacy laws.

"The city has the final say what happens to the driver," said Mike Aldrich, vice-president of ATU 279. "Obviously they have the right to manage their company . . . we do the best to try to meet the city halfway and come to a reasonable solution."

Watson said he expects a decision by the end of the week and he hopes it can be made public, because the transit system needs to be more open and accountable.

Taronno said he hopes the driver will be sanctioned, even fired, but he knows he can act differently in the future.

"Sometimes I don't think before I act, that was wrong, and I apologize for that," he said. "I'll try and think a bit for the future.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Vanessa Lee