The cost for years of security at three Tauranga bus stops will soon hit $1.7 million, but some drivers still feel unsafe and one fears another wave of “troublemakers” will be back by Christmas.
Figures obtained via an official information request show a total of $1.76m will have been paid to security services for patrols at three Tauranga locations — CBD, Farm St near Bayfair Shopping Centre and Greerton in just over three years.
The security measures followed a spate of intimidation and anti-social behaviour at local bus stops. Reported incidents included assaults on bus drivers, weapons such as a homemade taser being found on people at bus stops, a teenage girl robbed and having her hair almost set on fire, racial abuse, and death threats. Most of the issues involved groups of young people.
In 2020/21 the city’s bus network operator, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, spent $322,983 on Nutech security services.
In 2021/22, it paid $274,878 to Nutech and another $271,855 to Allied Investments, totalling $546,733. For 2022/23, $783,412 was paid to Nutech with another $114,900 expected to be paid for the remainder of 2023.
The contract between the regional council and Nutech will end on December 23. Whether the service will continue and in what capacity is yet to be determined by the Public Transport Committee.
The committee’s chairman Andrew von Dadleszen said the security was “hugely expensive” but worth it.
“We had to do it. Yes, it was expensive but we had no alternative. We couldn’t allow what was happening in the middle of last year to become the norm.”
Von Dadelszen said he was now starting to receive pushback on the regional council’s security funding.
“We are absolutely committed but the ratepayers, I’m starting to get people agitated and emailing me about the cost of the whole thing.”
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency funds 51 per cent of the costs with the regional council covering the remainder through targeted rates.
Von Dadeslzen said the regional council did not receive any financial support from Tauranga City Council but it provided equipment and leased premises for security staff to use.
The regional council was responsible for public transport in the Bay of Plenty while city and district councils were responsible for supporting infrastructure such as roads and bus stops.
Von Dadelszen said regional council staff were working with security personnel, police and community providers such as Māori wardens and things were “under control at the moment”.
“The risk is that it could blow up at any time.”
A bus driver told the Bay of Plenty Times he expected things to flare up leading into Christmas and he did not feel completely safe.
The driver, who spoke on the condition he was not named, said the three bus stops were “hot spots” that attracted “troublemakers”.
In May 2022, some drivers boycotted these bus stops if they recognised problematic people there. That same month, the council cut 24/7 free fares for school-aged children back to peak commute hours only.
The driver said that when security was present, the “troublemakers” would jump on a bus to head to another location and cause issues there instead. The 24/7 free travel for under-18s made this easy, he said.
“These groups of youths are about to come again, around Christmas-time. They are flexible, they move around. On weekends they are mainly out at Tauriko.
“The issue is the troublemakers we have, the moment they are on the bus, it’s fair game. As a driver, there’s nothing we can do.”
The driver said he was recently assaulted by a man who refused to stop eating on the bus.
“That’s what we have to face, this behaviour.
“That’s why you ask for guards, to have some protection.”
In January 2021, contracted bus company NZ Bus confirmed drivers had been assaulted, robbed and verbally abused, and concern for public safety was raised.
The CBD bus interchange, then on Willow St, became popular with some people who were believed to be drinking and using drugs and had been accused of intimidating others. These issues prompted the regional council to bring in security services, which have been in place since. These services were extended to Farm St in Mount Maunganui and Chadwick Rd in Greerton due to similar issues there.
While some passengers felt “more secure, more safe”, the driver said he believed “these are still unsafe conditions” because security was limited to bus stops.
The driver said he would also like to see, in addition to the static patrols and bus stop security, one or two guards travel certain bus routes during “the trouble times”.
The main CBD bus stop is now on Durham St. Last week a regular bus passenger there, who refused to be named, said she found the CBD unsafe and had been involved in trying to break up two late-night brawls near the stop in the past year.
The woman, who had a security background, said the increased security presence was a good thing but that $1.7m was a lot of money.
Regional council transport operations manager Stuart Nightingale said the presence of security at bus stops deterred anti-social behaviour, reduced risk to bus drivers and helped passengers feel safe.
“Additional security measures such as CCTV, good lighting, clear signage, and the willingness of the public to notify authorities of incidents helps to reduce disruptions or conflicts that may occasionally arise,” he said.
Nightingale said it continued to monitor “these situations” and adjusted the level of security as required.
Temporarily increased security services to meet demand, additional de-escalation training, raised hourly pay rates, and a supplier change were the reasons behind increased costs each year, Nightingale said.
Nutech was approached for comment.
Kiri Gillespie is an assistant news director and a senior journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, specialising in local politics and city issues. She was a finalist for the Voyager Media Awards Regional Journalist of the Year in 2021.
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