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A man has been arrested for a “violent and unprovoked attack” on a female bus driver along Auckland’s Ponsonby Rd after she tried remove him for not paying a fare.
Police responded to the incident about 4.30pm yesterday, finding and arresting the man without incident, Inspector Dave Christoffersen said.
Police charged the 39-year-old for what they described as a “violent and unprovoked attack” and said he would go before the Auckland District Court on Friday.
Christoffersen called the incident appalling and said police were supporting the driver.
“It’s understood the man boarded the bus on Ponsonby Road without tagging on. The driver has then asked the man to get off the bus, and it is alleged he punched and kicked her in response, and when she pulled over he got off the bus and ran up Ponsonby Rd.”
The driver asked him to get off, after which he allegedly punched and kicked her, Christoffersen said.
“When she pulled over he got off the bus and ran up Ponsonby Rd,” he said.
Auckland Transport’s group manager of public transport relations, Rachel Cara, said the incident had saddened the organisation.
“Safety is our top priority on the network. We want drivers to know that we are doing everything we can to support them in their roles and that they are safe,” Cara said.
“They [drivers] do a fantastic job working to provide an essential service to keep Auckland moving. Bus drivers deserve to feel safe in the place of work.”
Screen dividers to protect drivers announced a year ago
Auckland Transport said - a year ago - it was rolling out screen dividers on buses to separate drivers from passengers after at least two stabbings on the city’s buses.
AT was trialling the perspex screens on a double-decker driven on several different routes and a CityLink bus in the central city.
“This has been in the works since January and we will use this trial to gather driver feedback and see what works and what doesn’t. Then we can look at rolling it out across more buses,” an AT spokeswoman said.
Auckland Transport said it was is rolling out screen dividers on buses, separating drivers from passengers after at least two stabbings on the city’s buses last year.
A spate of attacks on bus drivers plagued the city in 2023, provoking urgent calls from unions for Auckland Transport, bus operators and Auckland Council to intervene.
First Union organiser Hayley Courtney told the Herald at the time drivers were waking up “fearing for their lives.
“It’s changed from fearing for their safety to fearing for their lives and if they’re going to return to their families when they finish a day’s work,” she said.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
