Police investigating after teen on bike hurled paver through windscreen of public bus at Kingscliff in Tweed Shire

Security have been seen been trailing Tweed buses after incidents including a paver being thrown through a window by a teen. A former driver is not at all surprised.

A Kinetic (formerly Surfside) bus at the Tweed Mall bus stop. File image.

Police have appealed to the public for dashcam footage or witnesses after a teenager on a bike hurled a paver through a bus window in the Tweed.

Members of the community have reported bus line Kinetic has been forced to get security to tail buses to prevent further attacks, and an ex-Tweed Shire bus driver has spoken of vehicles regularly being pelted with rocks.

Tweed-Byron Police have confirmed the bus was travelling along Turnock St, Kingscliff when the paver was thrown and shattered its windscreen about 8.05pm on July 27.

A section of Turnock St

A pair of young passengers were in the bus with the driver, but no one was injured.

Tweed-Byron Police District Sergeant duty officer Adrian Mathewson said the driver of the bus reported the incident at Tweed Heads Police Station about midday on Tuesday.

“He came in yesterday and supplied us with a statement about it and we are just chasing the bus company up for footage and the surrounding streets to find out who this fellow was,” he said.

“He looked like a juvenile on a pushbike.”

Sgt Mathewson said the offending was “very dangerous” and police were seeking CCTV footage from a nearby Domino’s pizza shop.

Sgt Adrian Mathewson has urged anyone with more information to come forward.

Investigations were continuing on Wednesday afternoon.

Objects being thrown at buses, largely by youths, appears to be an ongoing problem in the Tweed.

Users of a Facebook community page said they have watched security officers following buses at West Tweed after rocks were thrown at the vehicles.

“The Tweed buses are so feral. I have felt very unsafe on multiple occasions,” one woman wrote.

Another woman said “drivers have to put up with so much crap from the public” and a third described the rock throwing as “disgraceful”.

Domino's on Turnock St. Police have been seeking footage from the shop to help in the investigation.

The former driver, a 56-year-old man who asked not to be named, spoke of a harrowing three years he spent behind the wheel.

He said he had rocks thrown at the bus he drove about a dozen times – usually by youths at night, who waited for the vehicle to round a corner.

“Normally you didn’t see it, you just heard it … it would be an almighty whack on the windscreen or the side of the bus,” he said.

“It was a huge shock.

“This is what used to upset me – if they broke the windscreen you could potentially crash the bus or hit another car.”

The incident occurred in the coastal town of Kingscliff in the Tweed. Picture: NSW government

The man said incidents most often happened at Cabarita, Pottsville and Casuarina in Tweed.

He said he reported the incident, but the offenders were always gone by the time police and security arrived to help.

“Kids are just out of control with what they do with buses and how they treat the drivers. It’s just appalling behaviour,” he said.

“At 10pm or 11pm these kids should be in bed, not roaming the streets and throwing things at buses.”

He spoke of horrific dealings with some members of the public.

Police need the help of the public to catch offenders pelting buses with rocks and other items. Pictured is Tweed Heads Police Station.

“I’ve been spat on, abused, called every name under the sun and after three years it got to me and I said that’s enough I’m done,” he said.

The man did say most passengers were friendly: “I actually really enjoyed the job I meet some great people.”

“At the end of the day we were just trying to do our job like anyone else.”

Kinetic (formerly Surfside Buslines) was contacted for comment and directed inquiries to Transport for NSW.

A department spokesperson said everyone has the right to feel safe when catching a bus and all anti-social incidents are reported to police.

“Any instance of anti-social behaviour such as throwing projectiles towards a bus is deeply concerning and completely unacceptable,” they said.

“Transport for NSW will continue to work with the operator Kinetic and the police to enhance safety and security on Tweed bus services.

“In addition to the immediate and very real safety risk for drivers and passengers and other road users, this troubling behaviour can cause costly damage and delays to travel.”

Know more? Phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.