The paper discusses the issue of victimization and the perception of fear in interurban bus robberies in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Analyzing interviews with bus drivers and passengers as well as news reports, it compares the victimization taking place during bus robberies on the highways themselves and during the robberies affecting buses diverted off their routes. It argues that the use of psychological and physical violence in order to manipulate the perception of fear is influenced by the characteristics of the vehicles, the multiplicity of victims, and the length of time involved in the interaction. In this sense, it relates the variations on the type and level of victimization to the management style used by the muggers, their different roles, and the crews’ and passengers’ reactions in the various phases of the coercive transaction. The paper concludes by arguing that it is urgent for the state to exercise its regulatory authority over such field of criminality and to improve security in transportation through interurban buses.
Passenger transportation; Intercity bus robberies; Victimization; Coercitive transaction; Fear perception