Bus wars have come back to the streets of Bermuda -- with gangs of students terrifying passengers by pelting each other with eggs and fruit.

The problems which haunted previous Hallowe'ens have now prompted chief Police officers and top transport officials to convene an emergency meeting later today in a bid to stamp out the problem.

The issue reached a flashpoint last Friday when several incidents were reported to Police.

One bus driver on South Shore Road in Southampton was forced to clear his Number 7 bus of students on Friday morning after an egg and apple war erupted with children on the Prospect school bus.

Both buses were parked side by side at a bus stop near Horseshoe Bay when the students opened windows and began the massive food fight at around 8.30 a.m.

It is believed several innocent passengers were also caught up in the melee.

One No. 7 passenger said: "Our bus driver made every student get off the bus and left them at the side of the road.

"Some of the girl students who were sitting at the front of the bus and were obviously not involved were also thrown off.

"A lot of the regular passengers protested saying they had not been involved but the driver said the innocent would have to pay for the actions of the others.'' A similar incident happened at Midland Heights, Hamilton Parish at about 4. 30 p.m. on Friday when a bus which had pulled over to let passengers off was attacked by schoolchildren who were passing in another bus. Again the target was bombarded with apples and eggs.

In a third incident on Friday afternoon, a bus travelling through the Loyal Hill area of Devonshire had its rear windows smashed through after being bombarded by missiles. A Police spokeswoman said it was fortunate that none of the passengers on the bus were injured.

The woman bus driver said she had not been able to see who had launched the missile attack.

Assistant Police Commissioner Alan Bissell will meet Transport Minister Erwin Adderley and Public Transportation Board Director Herman Basden today to thrash out a new battle plan to wage war on the young hooligans who turn morning and afternoon bus rides into a nightmare.

Teachers could be asked to search students as they leave school each evening.

Parents will be asked to stop their children taking anything out which could be used as a missile on the buses.

Mr. Basden said an internal investigation into the Horseshoe Bay incident was already underway and the driver is understood to have been reprimanded for his actions.

"We want the guilty parties to be taken to task, not the innocent,'' said Mr.

Basden. "We understand all the students on the bus were asked to get off, which shouldn't have happened.

"But I don't want to turn this into the driver's fault. He is the man who has to pay attention to the traffic and the poor fellow now gets the blame.

"We need to make sure the trouble doesn't start in the first place. This has been going on for a few days now on several routes and we want only the guilty people to be dealt with, but dealt with severely.

"Some have been damaging the uniforms of innocent school kids and that has prompted this meeting we have with the Police.

Bus chiefs to meet on attacks "After that, we will be able to give our drivers more precise instructions from the feedback we get. My managers are also meeting with selected schools.

Anybody leaving school with a brown paper bag is suspicious and I'm hoping students will be searched by the schools if necessary.

"We are not looking for anything other than rocks and eggs which could be used as missiles of destruction on our buses.'' Last week The Royal Gazette reported that a bag of fruit and a bottle was thrown at a school bus on Kindley Field Road, St. George's, on Thursday.

Transport Minister Erwin Adderley said his own grandson was caught up in an egg-throwing incident last year.

He added: "This will not be tolerated. I'm very disappointed this has come up yet again. It almost seems an annual occurrence at this time of year.

"In fact, my grandson was the recipient of some of this and it appears that school rivalries peak in the run-up to Hallowe'en.'' A Police spokeswoman also warned that further outbreaks of vandalism will be treated as criminal acts rather than high spirits.

"Offenders should realise that they could face criminal prosecution for such incidents,'' the spokeswoman said.

"Parents and school officials are urged to talk to their young charges and warn them of the dangers and consequences of such behaviour.

"In the meantime Police preparations are underway for a relatively incident free, successful Hallowe'en, such as was enjoyed last year. This was achieved due to the successful community effort involving Police, parents and various segments of the community. It is to be hoped and expected that the same spirit of cooperation will prevail this year.''