Halifax Regional Police say they are investigating after a Halifax Transit bus driver was assaulted on New Year's Eve.

The attack happened outside a bus at the Penhorn bus terminal in Dartmouth at around 11:30 in the morning.

Ken Wilson, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508, says the assault stemmed from a fare dispute.

The driver, who has about ten years of experience, suffered a black eye and is on leave following the attack, Wilson said.

He says the incident proves the need for Bill S-221, an amendment to the Criminal Code that came into law last summer, which makes an assault on transit workers or taxi drivers an aggravating circumstance in sentencing.

Police describe the suspect as a white man with dark hair and a slim build, about 20 years old. He was wearing a dark jacket and dark pants, police say.