Auckland Transport (AT) is set to install screen dividers between passengers and drivers on buses due to frequent reports of daily verbal and physical assaults, including incidents of racial abuse and sexual harassment.
First Union spokesperson Hayley Courtney revealed that many drivers fear for their safety while at work. AT data from earlier this year shows a significant increase in assaults on drivers, from 24 assaults in 2022 to 51 in 2023.
In a particularly severe incident last year, a bus driver was stabbed in the ribs by a passenger, and in April, another driver was kicked and punched by someone refusing to pay a fare in Ponsonby. Courtney noted that these severe incidents are just the tip of the iceberg.
Rachel Cara, Auckland Transport's group manager of public transport operations, announced that barriers would be installed on 80 percent of AT's fleet within the next two years. She emphasized that drivers deserve to feel safe at work and that AT is committed to installing the barriers as quickly as possible.
However, Courtney expressed frustration over the perceived lack of urgency from AT and Auckland Council in implementing these protective measures. She called for not only screens in drivers' cabins but also an increase in the number of security officers at bus and train stations and on board buses along dangerous routes.
Courtney pointed out that this issue affects drivers nationwide, not just in Auckland. Violent incidents have also impacted passengers. Recently, RNZ reported a 17-year-old was threatened with a machete at Albany bus station. In May, a 21-year-old stabbed another passenger in the neck on a bus in Newmarket. Weeks later, school students were warned to avoid the New Lynn bus and train station due to fears of a mass brawl.
Courtney stated that drivers often feel pressured to intervene, which could further escalate dangerous situations. "We tell them to not engage. These drivers are not trained in self-defence - they are employed as bus drivers to transport the public, they are not employed as police officers."
Currently, about 40 AT-employed transport officers are warranted by police to respond to security threats or anti-social behaviour across its networks and issue infringements for fare evasion. AT spokesperson Rachel Cara mentioned that they are looking to recruit an additional 20 officers to support drivers.