A man is facing charges and a bus driver is shaken after a serious case of road rage turned violent in Halifax Thursday afternoon.

Police say a Metro Transit bus was pulling up to a bus stop to pick up some passengers when the driver noticed a car was parked in a bus lane, preventing the bus from pulling up to the stop.

When the bus driver beeped his horn to encourage the car to move, the driver got out of the car, boarded the bus and attacked the driver.

"The driver got out, boarded the bus and tried to strike the bus driver," confirms Const. Brian Palmeter, a spokesman with Halifax Regional Police. "It ended up exiting the bus when a third person tried to intervene to calm the situation down."

Only, it didn't end there. The altercation between the bus driver, the driver of the car, and the third party spilled out onto the street. Witnesses say the irate driver then got back in his car, and drove forward.

"The passenger stood in front of his car to say ‘you've been making threats,' at which point, the driver of the car ran into the passenger," says Lori Patterson, a spokeswoman for Metro Transit.

Robert Dunn appeared in court today to face charges of assault, assault with a weapon and uttering threats in connection with the incident.

The 41-year-old was later released on a $500 recognizance, with other conditions.

When asked by CTV News why he was so angry at the bus driver, he replied "no comment."

Chloe Boonstra is a Metro Transit user and she says she is not surprised to hear about the incident.

"Sometimes people get on there, and they're pretty irate," she says. "I saw a guy the other day, he didn't have the exact change and he got so mad at the bus driver. He swore and just ripped his transfer off the thing. It's scary sometimes."

Metro Transit says it's often seemingly minor incidents over fares that spark most of the violence against bus drivers.

"It's a very big concern," says Patterson. "Our operators are just trying to do a job."

Patterson says violence against bus drivers is increasing, but fortunately neither the bus driver, nor the passenger who stepped in to help was seriously injured in the altercation.

Dunn is due to appear back in court on November 28.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell