“Today, I am pleased to confirm that 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 approximately 1100 buses.”
Brown said bus drivers do an important job in communities and the Government was committed to helping keep them safe as they work.
“These hardworking New Zealanders often work with little to separate them from their passengers. Safety screens will provide protection and ensure our service continues running smoothly and safely,” he said.
“In addition, NZTA is also considering funding to deliver driver toilet facilities and an on-board live CCTV trial for 30 buses, with results of this trial informing how Auckland Transport will roll out further CCTV cameras in future.
“I look forward to these initiatives being delivered as soon as possible, and other funding bids to be confirmed in due course once final agreements are made.”
Bus drivers have been regularly targeted in recent months, including a beating, an alleged racially charged assault, a neck-slashing and a wrench attack.
Auckland Transport data released in July showed the number of assaults against drivers in the first six months of 2024 rose to 33, up from 21 over the same period a year earlier.
An Auckland bus driver was left with fractured ribs and eye damage after being attacked at the St Lukes bus hub on November 9.
In September, another driver was severely injured when fare dodgers beat him with a skateboard during a late-night attack in the central city.
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