Auckland bus driver left seriously injured after alleged attack by passenger

September 23, 2021
A bus driver at the wheel.

A man has been arrested and charged following a violent and unprovoked attack on a bus driver in Auckland's Waterview late Wednesday night.

A passenger on the bus allegedly started attacking the driver at around 10.20pm, Detective Senior Sergeant Phil Cox said.

The driver was dragged from his seat to the aisle, where he was struck by the passenger multiple times.

The driver was transported to hospital from the scene in Great North Road in a critical condition. He is now in a serious but stable condition, Cox said.

The alleged attacker then fled the scene but was swiftly located before being arrested and taken into custody, police say.

A 27-year-old man is due to appear in the Auckland District Court on Thursday charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife in a public place.

Cox called the incident an "appalling act of violence on one of the community’s essential workers, who was just going about their job".

The incident was the second time the victim had been assaulted while working in the past month, after being assaulted on Railside Avenue, in Henderson, on August 29.

Three youths had been referred to Youth Aid in relation to the earlier incident.

Auckland Transport chief executive Shane Ellison told 1News in a statement he was "appalled and hugely upset that there has been another assault on a bus driver who was just doing their job".

"Bus drivers are an essential way of keeping our city moving and they should not be subjected to harm under any circumstances."

Ellison said AT is working closely with police to "put an end to this abhorrent behaviour" through an increased police presence on and around Auckland buses.

Police have been offering support to the driver and his family through Victim Support and will continue the support after the latest incident.

It follows the announcement of a joint campaign between police and the New Zealand Transport Agency last week to deter "anti-social behaviour" amid a rise in assault and abuse directed at essential transport staff in recent months.

There were 35 reported incidents involving abuse or aggression towards Auckland bus drivers between August 1 and September 17.

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