Auckland deputy mayor wants safety offers after fatal bus stabbing

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."

Christchurch bus support officers are dealing with about 50 incidents a month - including violent assaults, a six-month review revealed.

Almost two-thirds of the incidents faced by the Christchurch support officers are unruly behaviour, including rudeness and shouting.

Five percent are physical assaults and about 15 percent are verbal abuse.

The team is made up of 11 first security officers, and 8 of them ride the buses daily.

Amalgamated Workers' Union secretary Lindsay Chappell told Checkpoint he's not surprised by the findings.

"Drivers have had to go home because they wouldn't be able to continue driving, but it's certainly not the driver's fault," he said.

"They weren't the antagonist; our drivers have all just completed de-escalation training and they're going very well.

"Like everyone has said, drivers have a right to go to work and be safe and go home."

Chappell admitted to initially be sceptical of security officers, but drivers have told him they are of benefit, even if they act as more of a deterrent.

While the six-month review cost Environment Canterbury $1.3 million, Chappell said there is no cost to people's safety, and ideally, there would be one person per bus in the "troublesome spots".

"Once upon a time, it was good industry to be involved in if you're a bus driver, not so much today, they're nervous because they don't know who's getting on their bus."

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