chief Herman Basden denied reports the man had been stabbed.

Mr. Basden said: "That just didn't happen -- the driver was injured, he went to hospital and had one stitch put in his leg.

"He got a cut on his leg. Whether or not he was stabbed, even the driver doesn't know.

"From what I can gather, you cannot prove that anyone took out a knife and stabbed him. It seems he was injured as opposed to stabbed.'' Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess said he would be seeking meetings with the PTB, education chiefs and staff at CedarBridge Academy, near where the incident happened.

Mr. Basden and Mr. Burgess denied claims that drivers were demanding a boycott of CedarBridge and other schools.

He said the driver was rescued from the crowd of youths by Works and Engineering Department staff working nearby and taken to hospital.

The man, thought to be in his 50s, was released after treatment.

The driver was attacked after pupils on the way to the new CedarBridge Academy got on the wrong bus -- and demanded the driver stop outside the school, hundreds of yards away from the nearest bus stop.

Mr. Basden added the driver refused to stop at an old bus stop on Frog Lane.

He added the driver did drop the youngsters off at a new stop installed further down the road -- but they became abusive.

Mr. Basden added: "The driver got off the bus and a fight broke out -- he was moving around trying to defend himself.

"I would imagine at that time in the morning there could have been as many as 30 kids on the bus. The actual number involved in the incident, I don't know.

Half a dozen kids or more.'' The incident happened just before 9 a.m. Mr. Basden said it appeared the youngsters had missed an earlier bus from Hamilton and boarded the driver's number nine service -- which takes a circular route around Hamilton and Pembroke.

Mr. Basden said: "Some of them seemed to think it was a bus going to CedarBridge and that's how it started.'' A Police spokeswoman yesterday said Police had not received an official complaint over the incident.

But Mr. Burgess said: "There are some concerns -- we are worried about safety and that's first and foremost.'' He poured cold water on claims that bus drivers were set to boycott CedarBridge -- but declined to comment on what steps drivers might want taken.

Mr. Basden added: "Nobody wants to go as far as a boycott -- and it's all over a stabbing which never happened.'' TRANSPORTATION TRA