Two separate assaults on bus drivers in Auckland within one hour

• Two bus drivers were assaulted in separate incidents in Auckland on Saturday night, one in the CBD and the other in Grey Lynn.
• Police arrested a man for the first attack, which involved multiple punches and verbal abuse.
• Auckland buses will have driver protection screens installed by 2026, with $15 million allocated for the project.

Two bus drivers were assaulted in separate incidents within one hour in Auckland on Saturday night - the first in the CBD and the second in Grey Lynn.

Acting Auckland City District Commander Jim Wilson said police were called to the first attack at about 7.40pm on Saturday night where a bus driver was punched several times by a man who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, and refused to leave a bus on Customs St East in the CBD.

He said the 51-year-old man was verbally abusive towards the driver, and two passengers intervened and got the man off the bus.

“The man then reportedly assaulted one of them, and was restrained by members of the public until police arrived,” said Wilson.

The bus driver received treatment for a minor injury. The members of the public did not require medical treatment, he said.

Attacks on bus drivers are becoming more common.

“The man was arrested for breaching his bail conditions and for assault with intent to injure, and is due in Auckland District Court tomorrow,” he said.

Nearly an hour later at about 8.30pm, Wilson said police received reports that another bus driver had been assaulted by a passenger on a bus in Grey Lynn.

The passenger had left the area by the time it was reported and the police advised the driver on reporting the matter.

An Auckland Transport spokesman said the first attack occurred on Bus 27H to Hillsborough and the second attack on Bus 18 to New Lynn.

Auckland Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt said he is appalled with the growing number of attacks on bus drivers, saying it started during Covid-19, is getting worse, and is a sign of how society is going.

While the union has talked to the 900-plus drivers at NZ Bus and given them de-escalation training, what else can you do, there is no answer to the problem, said Froggatt.

Auckland Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt.

“We can’t have a policeman on every bus.”

He said there is a train manager on each train to supervise passengers and access to the driver’s cabin if things get bad.

Last month, a bus driver was hospitalised with fractured ribs and eye damage after being attacked by a group of intending passengers at the St Lukes bus hub.

Three young people were taken into custody at the scene and referred to Youth Aid.

Froggatt said the driver was recovering but it would be some weeks before the ribs heal and he can return to work. He said the eye damage has healed apparently.

The man had moved to Auckland from the Philippines to work as a bus driver and has no family in New Zealand.

In October, police arrested a 37-year-old man wanted in connection to the death of a woman on a bus in Auckland’s Onehunga.

The woman - who was a passenger on the bus - was found with multiple stab wounds and died at the scene after the attack.

Last week, the NZ Transport Agency announced Auckland buses will have driver protection screens installed by 2026 with $15m of funds allocated in this year’s Budget. The screens have been trialled since 2023.

Bus screens are been installed on Auckland buses.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown said an agreement has been reached to approve a bid for funding to retrofit full-length driver screens for 80% of Auckland Transport’s bus fleet by 2026, or about 1100 buses.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said he had prioritised funds for the safety screen rollout, adding “we’ve all been appalled by the recent cowardly attacks on bus drivers who are just trying to do their job for the public”.

Froggatt said Ritchies and NZ Bus have paid for some screens and every new bus will be fitted with a standard screen.

“We have been talking about this for the last 10 years. It’s the bus company that is responsible for the safety of their drivers, not Auckland Transport who are having to pay for the security screens. It should be the other way around.”

Bernard Orsman is an award-winning reporter who has been covering Auckland’s local politics and transport since 1998. Before that, he worked in the parliamentary press gallery for six years.

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.