奥克兰公共交通半价优惠取消。 Photo: Duoya Lu
Attacks on bus drivers in Auckland are increasing but police and AT say confirmation bias and media reports have contributed to a feeling that things are much worse than they really are
Auckland police are playing down the increase in attacks on bus drivers.
Inspector Dave Glossop says the reporting and publicity of attacks may be giving Kiwis a false perception about public safety.
Auckland Transport data shows drivers have been physically assaulted 33 times in the first six months of the year. That's risen from 21 over the same period last year.
For the same period, 48 cases of verbal abuse were reported, including five incidents of threats to harm or kill and one incident where a weapon was on display.
Glossop fully supports the safety measures Auckland Transport is looking to put in place, but worries it's leading to worsening perceptions of public safety.
"Things happen in trends and peaks, but over its entirety I don't think that I would start considering public transport as an unsafe way to travel," he says.
Glossop doesn't want to undermine the severity of the incidents, but does think when people read the same story on multiple media sites, there is the perception there's more crime than there really is.
Gary Froggatt, president of the Tramways Union, agrees. He thinks technological advances and the rise of social media means information spreads quicker and more widely.
"When I started, you didn't have cell phones, and passengers now are able to take pictures on their phones while they're sitting in their seats. Passengers are very quick to call the police and assist the drivers," he says.
Froggatt wants to thank the woman and two youths who stopped and helped Rajnish Trehan, who was the victim of the 7 September attack.
It's not just bus drivers who are subject to abuse. Earlier this year, a train manager was assaulted and left unconscious while working on the Western Line in Auckland, leading to a widespread police hunt for the offender.
However, bus drivers are particularly vulnerable because they work alone, and there's nothing separating them from passengers.
Auckland Transport is working with police and unions including Tramways to implement security measures so bus drivers and passengers can feel safe on their commute around the city.
Duncan McGrory, the public transport service operation manager for Auckland Transport, says the goal is to have 80 percent of buses equipped with security screens within the next two years.
"The brand-new buses have them factory-fitted as they come off the line and into service," he says.
Installing screens into the existing fleet is trickier.
McGrory says the transport network is contracted out to a handful of operators who each have their own suppliers. That means buses are all slightly different in size, and screens need to be custom made to fit each bus.
"So, we can't have a standard screen that fits every bus," he says.
It's been widely reported that Rajnish Trehan was attacked by a passenger who refused to pay his fare.
McGrory says the official message to bus drivers from Auckland Transport when faced with this scenario is to let the passenger on and use the fare evasion system.
"Essentially the driver just has to touch the screen twice and it will record someone who's getting on without paying a fare.
"We're not saying just let everybody on for free - if they feel it's safe enough, they can question somebody around paying for their fare," he says.
Currently owning a Hop card is the only way to tap on for a ride - which can be frustrating for passengers at times if they forget their card or don't top up.
The option of paying with cash was removed during Covid mainly to limit social interactions, but also to improve safety after drivers expressed concern about robbery and assaults.
Over the next few years, McGrory says Auckland Transport is investing in technology that will let passengers pay for a ride on a bus, train or ferry with Apple and Google Pay, debit cards and most credit cards as well as the standard Hop card.
It's a long-term plan that will result in contactless payment capability for all fares and a national prepaid transit card by 2026.
However, the first phase - contactless payment capability for standard adult fares - will be introduced later this year.
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