Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
Auckland Transport is meeting with the police and Transport Ministers to discuss safety improvements after a fatal stabbing in Onehunga.
A woman was killed on the Number 74 bus on Wednesday afternoon. A 37-year-old man has been charged with murder and is expected to appear in the Auckland District Court today.
A spokesperson for Transport Minister Simeon Brown confirmed he and Police Minister Mark Mitchell would be sitting down with Auckland Transport on Friday.
Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson hoped they would consider safety officers.
"I know in Australia and I think London as well, [safety officers] have powers similar to police. They're not police but they do have powers potentially of arrest or fining for the likes of fare evasion," she said.
"This is a very different situation of course to what we had in Onehunga, but I do think it's another piece of the puzzle."
Simpson said the bus driver's quick response was heroic.
"He did an outstanding job considering the bus was moving and he did everything in his power to keep his other passengers safe and then help the victim," she said.
"It must be hugely traumatic for that driver."
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki councillor Josephine Bartley said although safety on public transport was a concern, the attack could have happened anywhere.
"Auckland Transport has put in place a lot of good measures: CCTV, GPS, the screens going up... But it's a societal issue, and it just happens to take place on a bus or a train," she said.
Simpson agreed.
"It wasn't necessarily just about safety on buses, it was potentially more about a complex set of societal problems that manifest [as] anti-social behaviour and mental health issues."
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