Night services under threat after attacks on bus drivers

Stagecoach says it will be forced to withdraw some night services if the growing number of attacks on drivers doesn't stop.

The latest attack occurred in South Auckland where two youths beat and robbed a bus driver on Wednesday night.

Police say the driver was heading along Weymouth Rd in Manurewa about 10pm when a boy who looked about 13 or 14 flagged him down.

The boy got on the empty bus and was followed by an older person who looked to be about 18. The older teen grabbed the driver by his clothes and started punching him about the upper body.

The attackers escaped with money, leaving the driver shaken but uninjured.

Stagecoach spokesman Stephen Wade said the company was "deeply concerned at the number of incidents in South Auckland" and was working with police to find the culprits.

The company was also working closely with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and drivers' union to improve safety measures.

Those measures included trialling on-board security cameras and the installation of compartments which separate the driver from passengers.

The compartments are being designed at the moment and are expected to be installed on all buses soon.

However, Mr Wade said that if those measures did not stop the attacks the company would consider withdrawing some services on routes being targeted by criminals.

Meanwhile, the Taxi Federation says security devices many large taxi companies are installing, such as panic buttons and global positioning system trackers, are helping to make a difference.

An emergency system in an Auckland Co-op taxi helped police make a quick arrest on Wednesday night after a driver was attacked in Manukau City.

The driver was allegedly punched in the head several times during the attack in the suburb of Favona at 10.40pm.

A 15-year-old boy and two females aged 16 and 18 have been charged with aggravated robbery.

The Favona attack was the second on a taxi driver in South Auckland this week. On Tuesday night, a 56-year-old was badly hurt when three young passengers attacked him in Otara. His foot hit the accelerator and the taxi crashed into a house.

The driver says he plans to install a barrier between the front and backs seats - a move the Taxi Federation has been promoting, with in-cab security cameras.


Under attack

May: A Christchurch bus driver is admitted to hospital after being assaulted at the end of his run.

July 2: A Dunedin taxi driver is beaten and robbed by two passengers.

July 24: A Tauranga taxi driver is admitted to hospital after being dragged from his taxi and attacked in front of schoolchildren.

July 31: A bus crashes into a tree as the driver is dragged from his seat and mugged in Christchurch.

Tuesday: A taxi crashes into a house as the driver is being punched and strangled by passengers in Otara.

Wednesday :

10pm: A bus driver is attacked in Manurewa and robbed of his cash box.

10.40pm: A taxi driver is punched in the head in Favona, Manukau City.