KEY POINTS:
Bus operator Stagecoach is testing CCTV on four vehicles in its South Auckland fleet after a spate of assaults on drivers.
The company said yesterday it was several weeks into a trial of two competing systems, in conjunction with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority, after at least six drivers were bashed in southern suburbs during the past three months.
Spokesman Steve Wade said one driver was admitted to hospital and at least one other was taken for medical checks, although all those assaulted had since returned to work.
He said four cameras had been installed on each bus in the trial and although these were visible to passengers they fed images back to hidden computer hard drives.
He expected the trial to continue for another 10 to 12 weeks, before a decision could be made on which system would be bought for the company's 600 buses.
Although the assaults had occurred in South Auckland, the company intended equipping buses at all of its depots with cameras to improve security for its drivers and for passengers.
"We can't treat any depot differently to any other," Mr Wade said.
The cameras were not hidden, he said, because the aim was to deter violence, and nothing untoward had been detected in the first three weeks of the trial.
The company had also started installing screens for drivers, with windows which could be opened depending on how secure they felt.
Mr Wade said Stagecoach and the transport authority were sharing costs of the CCTV trial but financial arrangements for equipping the fleet had yet to be negotiated.
Auckland Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt welcomed the move but said the union also wanted the transport authority to modify its South Auckland timetables so drivers did not have to wait at remote terminals where they were at greater risk of being bashed.
He said about 70 per cent of assaults occurred during arguments over fares, including senior citizens' discounts demanded by passengers not carrying proof of eligibility. The company rule was that drivers should not get into arguments with passengers.
