A Kaitaia school bus driver has resigned after eight years behind the wheel over his frustration at the behaviour of children he carries, with the final straw an alleged assault by a teenager.
The man, in his late 60s, whom the Northern Advocate has agreed not to name, said getting walloped across the head last month was the limit after enduring verbal abuse, foul language and disgusting behaviour from a small minority of young bus users.
He said it was a disappointing way to finish but he saw no other option after he was allegedly assaulted by a teenage passenger last month.
The man said there had been some nice times over the past eight years but at other times he had hated the job.
He had not been injured but the company that employed him had reached the conclusion there was nothing it could do, he said. A lawyer had given him similar advice. The company the man worked for declined to comment.
The alleged assault was prompted by the driver's refusal to pick up a secondary school student, as his bus was already closed and leaving the bus stop. A friend of the teenager left behind then allegedly punched the driver when getting off at Ahipara.
The irony was that the teen who allegedly assaulted the driver was not entitled to ride on the bus as he had left school, the incident reinforcing his view that young people no longer seemed to face consequences for their actions.
"They can do what they like," he said.
"The way some of them behaved was shocking. They ripped the seats, burned them with matches, dropped mandarin skins, apple and pear cores, chips and other rubbish, damaged the seats with graffiti, left condoms on the windows.
"It was disgusting. It's disappointing that it's ended like this but it had to come sooner or later, the man said.
"The company did what it had to do but it could only do so much.
"Basically, it was left to me to sort it out, and what's the point? I decided to leave and enjoy the rest of my life."
He had not reported the alleged assault to the police as he felt the teen would receive only "a slap with a wet bus ticket".