CCTV cameras proposed for Rotorua buses after assaults on drivers

Rotorua buses will likely have CCTV cameras installed to improve safety. Photo / Stephen Parker

Robberies and assaults on drivers have sparked a push to install CCTV cameras on Rotorua buses, a project that may cost up to $164,000.

Assaults have been cited as one of the factors behind the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Public Transport Committee proposal, which will be recommended to the full council to approve following a committee meeting on Friday.

The cost was unbudgeted but estimated to be between $130,000 to $164,000, with an annual impact on targeted rates of between 80 cents and $1 per ratepayer.

The committee recommended security cameras be installed on 20 Rotorua Cityride buses from the start of the 2018/19 financial year, following feedback from passengers and drivers.

It comes after a number of reported health and safety incidents involving drivers and passengers on the Rotorua Cityride services.

"Of note, there were two separate incidents involving robbery, one of which also involved an assault, and a further two separate incidents of assault upon drivers in 2017, along with a number of incidents and accidents involving passengers and other motorists," a report presented to the committee read.

"The risk for violent and abusive passengers is high through to critical for armed
robbery."

In May 2017, a Rotorua bus driver was attacked by a baseball-bat wielding robber at a suburban bus stop.

Installing CCTV cameras would reduce the risk of robberies and assaults, the report read.

Bus company Howick & Eastern had verbally agreed to co-invest up to 10 per cent of the installation cost, up to $14,000, according to the report.

Chairman Lyall Thurston said last year's Bus User Satisfaction Survey found personal security ranked highly among Rotorua passengers.

"Sixty-nine per cent of those surveyed said that personal safety is important to them and emphasises we need to look after both passengers and drivers.

"Installing cameras will help monitor passengers and behaviour, while just as important the presence of cameras will give an assurance to bus users."

Reesby Rotorua is the supplier contracted to run the services. Howick & Eastern is the parent company of Reesby Rotorua.

Reesby Buses Ltd supervisor Duncan Wiggins said the company was proactive and wanted "to get this done for our drivers and our passengers".

"There's certainly no downsides that I can see," he said.

The Rotorua Daily Post was unable to speak to any of the company's drivers.

New Zealand Bus and Coach Association chief executive Barry Kidd said any assault on a driver was a concern.

"Drivers should be safe at work and not subject to this sort of behaviour.

"Many assaults on drivers are associated with the theft or attempted theft of the cash on the bus. One of the most effective ways of reducing assaults on drivers is reducing or eliminating cash on buses.

"CCTV is often effective in identifying and catching offenders who have assaulted drivers but it is less clear that CCTV reduces the incidence of assaults on bus drivers.

"This may be because there is often already other passengers on the bus who can identify the offender so being identified by CCTV is not an effective deterrent for these offenders."