The government is introducing new sentencing measures to improve the safety of public transport workers in response to a rise in violent incidents across the country.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the new measures in a media release Tuesday.
The measures include the introduction of a new aggravating factor for offences committed against public transport workers.
"In recent months, there has been a worrying increase in abuse and attacks on public transport workers. We want to send a strong message that any attacks on bus drivers, taxi drivers and anyone working on a public transport train or ferry will not be tolerated," Goldsmith said.
Paul Goldsmith Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Earlier this month, an Auckland bus driver was punched in the face, leaving him with stitches and a broken tooth.
In July, another Auckland bus driver told RNZ he was traumatised after a passenger boarded the bus and used racist slurs.
Latest figures from Auckland Transport confirm that assaults against bus drivers are climbing in New Zealand's largest city.
The data shows that drivers reported 33 assaults in the first six months of 2024, up from 21 over the same period a year earlier.
"Building on the government's sentencing reforms package, this change will help ensure there are 20,000 fewer victims of violent crime by 2029 and will reduce serious repeat youth offending by 15 percent," Goldsmith said.
Brown said people working in public transport deserved to feel safe and the government was responding to a rise in violent incidents by introducing tougher consequences for assailants.
By 30 September, local authorities can apply for funding from $15 million allocated towards bus safety improvements in Budget 2024.
The government is also working with the public sector to develop new national guidelines for managing passenger safety.
Simeon Brown Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Brown said that local authorities will soon be able to apply for funding for safety improvements, including retrofitted safety screens and real-time CCTV monitoring.
"Funding will also be made available to provide better restroom and break facilities for drivers," he said.
"It is important we have the bus drivers required to deliver efficient and reliable public transport services so Kiwis can get to where they want to go, quickly and safely," he said.
"These practical improvements are critical to improving working conditions so we can recruit and retain drivers."
In July, a 16-year-old student was assaulted on public transport in East Auckland, suffering severe facial injuries.
"Each bus operator is currently responsible for setting its own procedures for responding to onboard attacks or altercations," Brown said.
"As a result, inconsistent processes are plaguing the system within the same city, let alone across the country, ultimately putting passengers and hard-working bus drivers at risk."
Dennis Maga, general secretary of FIRST Union, welcomed the new measures but called the $15 million fund that local authorities can draw from to improve worker safety a "Band-Aid solution".
"It's a 'perception policy' trying to give the impression of action but, in reality, it's neither sufficient financially nor a smart policy in terms of preventing crime," Maga said. "It's entirely focused on the deterrent effect on would-be attackers and not the practical reality that bus drivers need greater protections in their place of work, like on-bus security and robust reporting processes."
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