ACC bus injures: Drivers urged to wait until passengers seated before hitting the gas

Bus-related Injuries range from cuts and bruises to concussions and dental injuries. Photo / Michael Craig

By Delphine Herbert of RNZ

Over the past five years, 12,744 people have made claims to the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) after being injured on public transport or on a privately owned, rented or commercial bus.

Injuries range from cuts and bruises to concussions and dental injuries.

Between July 1, 2018 and June 30 this year, 9064 claims were made for soft tissue injuries, 266 for concussions and 188 dental injuries.

But the transport industry said the figures should be kept in perspective.

Auckland resident Sarah used public transport regularly and was pregnant. She said while some drivers waited for her to be fully seated, others did not.

“When they see me pregnant ... [I thought] they are obviously going to wait, but even when they saw me pregnant, they still left before I was seated.”

She said she was lucky she had not completely fallen over.

“Luckily I was holding onto something, so I didn’t fall that time, but if I wasn’t holding anything I do not know what would have happened.”

Meanwhile, resident Bridget Glasgow had not had any issues on buses.

“As I got on the bus, and I realise the person I present now is an older woman ... I usually bike so sometimes when I bus they make definite actions to make sure I was seated before I left, so I thought that was really good,” she said.

There were 1811 new claims made for lacerations, punctures and stings, and 842 claims were also made for fractures and dislocations.

Resident Rachel Turner was not surprised by the figures.

“I think it is quite easy when the bus driver goes off too quickly that you could stumble, and when the buses are really full you can fall into people and hurt each other, so I guess that doesn’t surprise me.”

The Bus and Coach Association said the figures did not reflect the number of trips made each year. Chief executive Delaney Myers said for public transport and school buses alone, millions of rides were made annually.

“I think at first glance, while that looks like a lot of numbers of people who have potentially been injured, you need to look at that within the context of how many people are actually making their daily journeys by bus.

“So last year, we’re talking about 150 million people making bus journeys and I think when you look at the numbers you’ve got there, what that actually shows us is that travelling by bus is a really safe way to travel.”

The Public Transport Users Association reminded passengers to ensure they are doing things to keep themselves safe. Spokesperson Jon Reeves said injuries sometimes happened when a passenger was not paying attention.

“I think anyone who has caught a bus has often seen people standing up in the aisle with their heads glued to a mobile phone, not really holding on to a seat or a pole. So those sort of people who are really liable to come a cropper when the bus driver suddenly has to put his brakes on.”

He said drivers have to also had a part to play.

“So the bus drivers, they need to ensure that the passengers have actually sat down. Passengers themselves should also make their way to find a seat where they can sit down quickly. Because if they aren’t sitting down and they are walking down the aisle, the bus may take off.”

But in spite of the injury figures, Delaney Myers said passengers can feel reassured when they take a bus.

“What the stats are showing us is that travelling by bus is the safest way for people to be making their journeys. So it’s safer than cars, it’s safer than walking and it’s safer than cycling, so we’d really encourage people to get on that bus and stay safe.”