Robbed West Auckland bus driver forges on after heist as passengers fret they'll be late for work

Bus driver Perry Davis was robbed by a passenger while driving this morning. Photo / Supplied

A West Auckland bus driver robbed on his route this morning waited 20 minutes before reporting the incident after passengers complained they'd be late for work.

Bus driver and secretary for Auckland Tramways Union Perry Davis, 65, started his shift from Swanson Bus Depot at 5am.

About 8.30am on the 14W New Lynn to Westgate route, Davis said a young male in a red shirt and grey trackpants made his way to get off bus.

"Then he did a bit of snatch-and-run job, he grabbed the cash out of the bus' money box."

It was a shock for both Davis and the eight passengers on board at the 62 Waimumu Rd stop in "bright sunshine", he said.

"Everybody was a bit surprised, and I knew I needed to ring police, but the passengers said, 'I'm going to be late'. Calling would have stopped everything for a while, so instead I carried on."

Davis said in 30 years of driving buses, he had never been robbed.

"Your mind just goes blank, but you trust your instincts and the passengers became my main concern."

He drove another kilometre to the final Westgate stop and back to the station before he made the call to police- almost 25 minutes after the cash had been snatched.

"It was tidy sum of $31, too … He obviously wanted the money more than he thought the bus company did," Davis joked.

The thief had tagged on at Henderson Train Station, so Davis hoped he could be tracked down that way.

He said his passengers' reaction to the incident didn't upset him, but being robbed did make him "think a lot of things, like is it worth going on with this kind of job?"

The Te Atatu North resident said he'd take a bit of time off to re-evaluate things, but he felt he had to keep moving.

Police confirmed they received a complaint relating to the theft of a small quantity of money which took place 8.30am.