Public transport union calls for protective ‘cabins’ for drivers following brutal attack
Nearly 100 per cent of bus drivers faced some form of abuse on SA roads last year. This frightening statistic and a violent attack on Wednesday night has prompted their union to call for more protection before someone is killed.
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THE state’s peak public transport union has renewed calls for protective cabins for bus drivers after a member was punched then struck on the head with a beer bottle, leaving him with a lump over his left eye.
It comes as latest Transport Workers’ Union SA/NT figures showed 95 per cent of Adelaide Metro bus drivers faced verbal abuse in 2019, and over a quarter experienced physical abuse.
Following the attack on a driver in Paralowie on Wednesday night, the union called on the State Government to install fully enclosed glass and cage screens in buses.
The government spent $2.5 million on small protective screens for drivers, but Transport Workers’ Union SA/NT branch secretary Ian Smith said they were not good enough because drivers were still “living in fear” about assaults that had become “all too common”.
He said the enclosed screens had been successfully implemented in Darwin, and wanted them rolled out in Adelaide.
“Since that has been in place in Darwin, there has been no physical assaults on drivers because of that protection,” Mr Smith said.
“It’s clear that the security screens that have been installed on Adelaide Metro buses just aren’t up to the task … they simply don’t offer enough protection for drivers.
“How long before some one is killed?”
He urged the State Government to continue with the cashless fare payment system introduced to stop COVID-19 spread because it had “avoided lots of confrontation”.
It is the fourth violent incident against bus drivers in two months.
On April 10, a passenger wearing a face mask threw alcohol over a bus driver at Flinders Medical Centre.
A day earlier, a driver in Hackham told a passenger to stop smoking on the bus before he was verbally abused then had his sunglasses stolen.
Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said safety was an “absolute priority” for bus drivers.
He declined to answer questions about whether he supported enclosed protective cabins.
“We have now retrofitted all buses with protective security screens for our drivers about six months ahead of schedule to help keep them safe.”
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Shadow Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the Marshall Government should not have cut security guards from evening train and tram services in May last year.
“It is clear these changes have made our public transport system less safe,” Mr Koutsantonis said.
“Rather than focusing on privatisation, we need Minister Knoll to ensure that our public transport network is safer for passengers and our drivers.”
Following the incident in Paralowie, SA Police arrested and charged the 39-year-old Kent Town man with aggravated assault
He was bailed to appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court at a later date.
The bus driver, a man in his 60s, was treated at the scene by ambulance officers.
SA Police refused to comment any further.
The Transport Department was contacted for comment.