Adelaide bus driver punched and spat on
A bus driver has undergone an urgent COVID-19 test after being spat on and punched in the face by a violent passenger.
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A bus driver has undergone an urgent COVID-19 test after being spat on and punched in the face by a violent passenger.
The incident, after which tests showed he had not contract the disease, is one of two violent confrontations exposed on Adelaide buses by the Transport Workers Union.
The TWU has blown the whistle on one verbal and one physical attack, because drivers are being gagged from talking to the media by their private employers.
In the more serious of the two incidents, on Saturday June 13, at Salisbury, a driver was punched.
“A passenger spat on the driver and punched him multiple times in the face,” TWU state secretary Ian Smith, pictured, said.
“The driver is traumatised by this horrific assault with the incident being compounded by heightened anxiety due to COVID-19.
“The driver urgently reported for a COVID-19 test, which thankfully came back negative.”
In the second incident, last Friday, the driver was able to talk down a threatening passenger and avoid violence, but complained that police and security failed to arrive.
A police spokesman said a preliminary search had not identified any incident having been reported.
He said police may also have been later advised that the situation had been resolved and not needed to attend.
The TWU is campaigning for better driver protection, an end to ticketing and policing obligations, duress alarms, and restoration of the Adelaide Metro Bus Network Consultative Committee, which gave a voice to drivers.
Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said considerable efforts had already been made to better protect drivers.
“The safety of bus drivers and passengers is our absolute priority and that’s why we have delivered $2.5 million to retrofit protective screens in all buses,” Mr Knoll said.
“We have now retrofitted all buses with protective security screens for our drivers about six months ahead of schedule to help keep them safe.
“Any act of violence against our drivers is unacceptable and that’s why we installed these screens and have higher penalties for those thugs who do the wrong thing.”