A man has been arrested after an Auckland bus driver was assaulted over the weekend.
Police were alerted to the incident in Avondale around 10.15am on Saturday which began when a passenger boarding a bus on Great North Rd and reportedly attempted to travel free of charge.
The driver of the bus was allegedly assaulted when he challenged the passenger, with the offender then fleeing on foot.
Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt said the driver had teeth knocked out and required stitches to his knee.
Police Inspector Wayne Kitcher said a person has been apprehended and would be appearing in court later this week.
“One of our frontline units was travelling through the Avondale township on Sunday, when they noticed a man matching the description of the offender,” Kitcher said, in a statement.
The patrol unit turned around to stop the man, who attempted to evade police by boarding a nearby bus and hiding down the back, he said.
“Our staff boarded and arrested the man without further incident.
“We have no tolerance for violence taking place on public transport whatsoever, and we will continue to prosecute those offenders,” the inspector said.
“No one deserves to come to work and be subjected to harm just for doing their job.”
A 36-year-old man has been charged with assault and would appear in the Auckland District Court on September 13.
Auckland Transport group manager of public transport operations Rachel Cara said the bus operator was ensuring the driver has all the support he needed.
“We operate over 13,000 bus services every weekday and, fortunately, the majority of our passengers are amazing, but these isolated incidents are concerning.
“Our bus drivers work tirelessly to keep Aucklanders moving and deserve to feel safe in their place of work.
“We continue to work closely with police, other agencies and communities to improve safety on public transport.”
