Zizi Sparks: Tauranga bus boycott showing users what they're missing

The problem with buses in Tauranga is a major talking point in town. Photo / NZME

OPINION

For weeks, we have reported on bus stop violence in Tauranga.

There were reports of a young person with a Taser, vandalism, death threats and racial abuse, so drivers threatened to boycott some problematic stops in the city.

The violence continued so the boycott began, but the violence didn't stop.

Since then the drivers union reported youths forced their way on board, smashed a rearview mirror and racially abused a driver, and a young person was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after an alleged attack at a stop.

Police are promising a heavier presence at a busy Mount Maunganui bus interchange after the incidents. But I believe it will take a community approach to stamp this out.

In 2018, Rotorua bus drivers suspended the Fordlands bus route because of assaults on bus drivers and the chanting of gang slogans by children as young as 10.

At the time, the regional council said there had been "a series of incidents which put the safety of drivers and passengers at risk".

The regional council, police and community groups worked to come up with a preventive solution.

They held a public meeting with the community and committed to working together to resolve the issues that had caused the service to be temporarily rerouted.

The buses are now running again.

It took everyone in the community to buy in to improve the situation. It sounds so simple.

The problem with buses in Tauranga is a major talking point in town and none of the rhetoric indicates anyone thinks what is happening is acceptable.

So why does it keep happening?

We are on the right track. Police have stepped up their patrols and the bus stop boycott is showing users what they are missing out on and showing if people don't respect something, they'll lose it.

If these incidents don't stop, perhaps Tauranga should look to Rotorua and call a community meeting. A meeting may not be the answer to everything, but it could be a key step in uniting the community over a common goal.

The message needs to get across this is not okay and the parents of these youths need to step and start acting like parents or seek help if they need it.

Public transport is a privilege, not a right. It's time we treated it that way and respected those who make it happen.