New Zealand / Travel

Police, Auckland Transport working together to mitigate issues on troublesome bus route

11:14 am on 9 August 2024

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Police are working closely with Auckland Transport on how resources are best deployed to monitor bus safety in the city after recurring incidents on a troublesome bus route.

Auckland Transport said it had noticed repeat issues on the 70 bus route, which took passengers from Botany into the central city, via Panmure.

They said there were issues with the behaviour of some younger passengers, and police have also been alerted.

Officers arrested a woman, 45, last month on the 70 bus route after an assault police believe was hate motivated.

Auckland City Central area prevention manager, Inspector Mark Miller, said police would not tolerate that type of anti-social behaviour and that commuters should be able to utilise public transport without experiencing it.

"Police have made two arrests recently over incidents that occurred on the No. 70 bus and another Auckland bus route," he said.

"If you witness any incident on a bus that requires an urgent police response, please call 111 immediately."

Auckland Transport said it had seen recurring issues on a small part of the route 70 bus network.

AT's Stacey van der Putten said it was working with police to ensure there was sufficient police officers and AT officers to mitigate the issue.

"We continue to work closely with police, other agencies, and community leaders to identify and address issues as they arise," she said.

"We operate over 13,500 bus services every day. 99.9 percent of our passengers are awesome.

"Just a reminder to everyone who catches our buses; be nice to each other, and always thank the driver," van der Putten said.