Two men have been sentenced to three-and-a-half and two year prison sentences for an armed robbery on a bus in their hometown of Almere, reports ANP.

The robbery represented the peak of a series of incidents involving Connexxion buses in Almere this year.

Wesley W, the 23-year-old instigator, received the higher sentence from Lelystad court, for allegedly threatening the bus driver and a passenger with a knife. A second man, 30-year-old Roy O, received two years’ imprisonment, six months of this as a suspended sentence.

The court said victims had suffered ‘many adverse effects’, awarding the bus driver almost €5,000 and the passenger €500 in compensation. The criminals must pay Connexxion a fine of €2,000.

Bus drivers went on strike in April for more security measures in their vehicles. After buses were pelted with stones, Connexxion also temporarily suspended some routes.