Auckland bus drivers are calling for an "immediate intervention" following the alleged stabbing of a driver at the weekend.
Two unions released a statement on Monday calling for urgent action before a "driver is killed" while on the job.
It comes after an Auckland bus driver was seriously injured on Saturday evening after they were allegedly stabbed on the footpath in Mt Roskill.
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions national secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges said the workplace safety for bus drivers has reached a "crisis point".
FIRST Union organiser Hayley Courtney said there is "no more time for discussion" and called on Auckland Transport and bus operators to act "immediately".
"To make bus drivers in Auckland safe at work or the service should not go ahead."
Courtney said FIRST Union members have three priorities they want officials to act on before future Fair Pay Agreement negotiations.
"Drivers have been instructed not to intervene when passengers refuse to use their Hop cards to board, and as a result, problem passengers can follow them around the city and cause problems for other riders."
On behalf of drivers, Courtney is calling on bus operators to work with Auckland Transport to increase supervisory security on buses in the meantime.
"Finally, drivers need more investment into the recent trial of protective cabins, which some of them have found underwhelming and under-delivered in its current form, for a variety of reasons," Courtney said.
"No one should be going to work and fearing for their lives every day."
The FIRST Unions organiser said issues of safety have been made worse by driver shortages.
"Services being cancelled makes people angry and they [the public] take it out on their driver. It's a catch-22 for the industry right now."
One driver, who FIRST Union did not name due to their terms of employment said the behaviour by members of the public caused by driver shortages should be no surprise.
"You get spat on, verbally assaulted, pushed around, and then one day... who knows," the driver said.
"People need training and investment to stay in this job. Even with wages getting higher, it's demanding, and you can get paid more to drive a truck."
Auckland Transport responds
In a statement, Auckland Transport (AT) exec general manager safety Stacey Van Der Putten said AT is saddened to hear one of its bus drivers was seriously injured yesterday.
"Our thoughts are with the driver and his whānau and we hope they recover quickly," she said.
"We want all our drivers to be safe and able to get home to their whānau at the end of their shift after providing such important services to Aucklanders.
"We will be working with our operator and NZ Police on their investigation to understand how this incident eventuated."
Van Der Putten said there has been an increase in violence, threats and aggression since COVID-19.
"There has been a startling increase with a lack of respect for people in customer-facing service sectors, including roles our people and contracted workforce do," she said.
"Anti-social behaviour is a big determinant of people staying in the industry so alongside terms and conditions it remains a focus area. We want everyone working for our transport operators to be safe as they do their jobs providing an essential service to Aucklanders."
Van Der Putten said security measures are already in place, including duress alarms, CCTV, de-escalation training, crime stoppers initiatives across the public transport network, static and roving security and transport officers, profanity filters and lone worker protocols.
There's also a bus driver screen trial operating which sees screens installed between the driver and the door or aisle.
