Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is calling for those who have beaten bus drivers in recent “vicious attacks” to be held to account and is urging Auckland Transport to get on with rolling out a key safety feature.

A late-night assault in the central city where a group of fare dodgers beat a driver with a skateboard and fractured his spine also prompted a strong reaction from the Act Party, which called the attack “the height of cowardice”.

The driver, who only wanted his surname Singh published, said he is scared of returning to work after his experience on August 31 and a racially charged attack on another driver, Rajnish Trehan, on Saturday morning.

Brown shared the Herald’s report about Singh’s experience on social media, saying “violence against bus drivers - or anyone for that matter - is completely unacceptable”.

An Auckland bus driver has been severely injured after getting beaten with a skateboard by fare dodgers during a late-night attack in the central city.

Brown said: “Those responsible for these vicious attacks should be held to full account. It’s not on.”

He called for Auckland Transport (AT) to “get on with the rollout” of perspex screens to protect drivers.

“I’ve already committed $6 million to add security screens to our bus fleet to protect our drivers. AT needs to get on with the rollout,” Brown said.

AT group manager of public transport operations Rachel Cara told the Herald the city transport board’s “project team is moving as quickly as possible” to install screens in more buses.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is calling for those who have beaten bus drivers in recent “vicious attacks” to be held to account and is urging Auckland Transport to get on with rolling out a key safety feature. Photo / Dean Purcell

All the buses would have safety screens installed, Cara said. AT had a target to install 80% of the city’s bus fleet with the screens within the next two years.

“Our project team is moving as quickly as possible, working closely with our operators to retrofit the existing fleet of 1300 buses with safety screens. The challenge with retrofitting is that there are several different makes of buses on the road and they each need to be designed, trialled, manufactured, and installed,” she said.

“Five screens have been installed in the last month, and installation continues with over 60 to be installed by early next year. A further 300 are scheduled to be installed in the first half of 2025.”

Act Party touts law changes as help

The Act Party’s ethnic communities spokeswoman Parmjeet Parmar, meanwhile, said it was “the height of cowardice to attack someone who’s just trying to do their job, support their family, and contribute to society”.

Parmar said she had heard from bus drivers, retail staff and night shift workers who say they are feeling especially vulnerable to attacks.

“It is heartbreaking because many people come to New Zealand and take these jobs with the understanding that this is a safe country and that, if they are attacked, their rights as victims will be upheld,” Parmar said.

“But in the bus driver’s case, the victim’s wife points out that violent offenders will do it again when they know they can get away with it.”

Parmar spoke of some of the changes Act was pushing for while in government, including legislation before select committee to make an assault on a worker on sole charge an aggravating factor at sentencing and the reinstatement of the three strikes law.

Driver left unable to walk after spinal fracture

Singh, a father to two young boys, is unable to walk unsupported, suffering a fracture of his lumbar spine after his attack. His general practitioner advised him it could be up to three months before he can stand, sit, lie down and walk on his own.

Singh’s wife said: “You know, people don’t have any respect for people who are working hard for their families - and they just get away with it, that’s probably why they do it again and again - and what option are we left with?”

The attack happened on Mayoral Dr about 9.30pm. Singh was driving on the New Lynn 24R route.

“I stopped to pick up passengers, and then four young adults enter in my bus and want a free ride, but I refused them entry. Then they ignored me and sat at the back.”

Singh was familiar with the group, they had caused trouble on his bus before. Singh said they evaded paying their fares regularly and would constantly press the button requesting him to stop only to remain on the bus and swear at him.

Tired of the ongoing abuse, Singh escalated a complaint to his bosses and radioed for support. He received a phone call from the bus depot and went outside the bus to take the call and any advice.

“While I’m talking with my [control operator], they all jump off and I got back on the bus to start driving again but then they enter my bus again and one guy used the ‘F-word’ to me.

“Then he spits on me and I try to start talking to with them. Then the other guy starts pushing me and starts to fight.

“They used a skateboard to hit me and, after that, I fall on the ground. Now they all start kicking and hitting me with the skateboard. After that, they run away.”

Auckland Transport said it “can’t provide detail on this individual incident” but added it was rolling out safety screens to protect drivers.

Bus operator Kinetic said it had launched an internal investigation and it could not comment on the incident while this was under way.

Auckland bus driver Rajnish "Raj" Trehan suffered facial injuries after he was attacked by a passenger following racial abuse about 10am on Saturday on the Number 18 bus in Avondale near Great North Rd.

Meanwhile, last Saturday, bus driver Rajnish Trehan asked an unruly passenger who refused to pay their fare to show some respect for other public transport users.

But his request for some common decency was met first with the passenger saying, “This is my country, you are my servant”, and then with violence.

After his racially charged tirade, the man unleashed a vicious punch to Trehan’s face that left him requiring hospital treatment and urgent dental care for a dislodged tooth.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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