Auckland bus drivers are pushing for a stop work meeting to discuss safety after Rajnish Trehan was punched in the face by a passenger. Photo: Supplied
Auckland bus drivers are pushing for a stop work meeting to discuss their safety after a fellow driver was punched in the face on Saturday morning.
Roskill depot-based Rajnish Trehan was hit by a man who wouldn't pay, he required hospital care for stitches and emergency dental work.
Auckland bus drivers concerned over safety
Tramways Auckland union president Gary Froggatt told Morning Report members were now pushing for a stop work meeting, which he acknowledged would cause disruption across the city.
Auckland bus drivers concerned over safety
"I don't want to do that if we can avoid it but we can't let this go on... bus drivers are concerned about their ongoing safety.
"We're being pressured by our members (for the meeting) and I think the time has come that we have to do that."
He said they were talking to management first before confirming a stop work meeting which would see union members taking time off during their shift.
Froggatt said they wanted a full investigation by WorkSafe into the attack on Trehan.
And he said they were disappointed by the company's response, with Trehan taken back to the depot where his wife picked him up and took him to hospital.
"She took him into Auckland Hospital where they put some stitches in his chin and then they had to go out to Middlemore Hospital to have the tooth fixed."
The company disputes this, saying they were advised an ambulance would be delayed in getting to Trehan.
Froggatt said there had been a quieter period of violence towards bus drivers, particularly after most were sent on a de-escalation course.
However, the frequency of events was starting to increase again, he said.
"It does happen and it's starting to happen more frequently just recently."
He reiterated the need for security screens.
"We've been talking about this for some time.
"We've got to the stage where we've seen some samples of what the bus companies and Auckland Transport are looking at."
While new buses would come fitted with screens, it would take some time to retrofit the 2000-odd existing buses, Froggatt said.
Emergency protocols followed
Kinetic, which owns bus company NZ Bus, confirmed Trehan notified the operations centre about 10am Saturday that he had been assaulted by a passenger.
"As per our emergency protocols, our team immediately notified the police and ambulance service and sent out our support team to assist Mr Trehan and ensure he was safe and well looked after," a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said they were advised by the ambulance service there would be significant delays in them attending.
"So we took him back to the depot for immediate medical attention while preparations were made to get him to hospital.
"The health and wellbeing of our people is very important to us, and we are satisfied with the way this was handled by our support teams, putting the driver's welfare first and foremost."
Support for the driver was ongoing, including use of the Employee Assistance Programme for support, the spokesperson said.
Police are investigating the assault, and want to hear from anyone who saw what happened.