Shocking number of attacks on Brisbane bus drivers

The disturbingly high number of attacks on public transport workers in one of Australia’s largest cities has been revealed following a violent bus brawl.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has revealed violent attacks are commonplace on Brisbane public transport and often drivers are the victims.

The union’s secretary, Tom Brown, revealed public transport workers often witness violent incidents during their workday.

“Usually the driver is targeted, but more and more these days a passenger is targeted,” he said.

Tram and bus union secretary Tom Brown said bus drivers need to be better protected.

The union said current measures to protect drivers are “totally inadequate” and workers should be better protected from assailants.

In August, the RTBU said there were 59 reported assaults on drivers across the Brisbane city network. Those figures include verbal assaults, which is the “main one drivers get”, according to Mr Brown.

He warns although not every verbal assault escalates to a physical attack, “every case of violence starts as verbal abuse”.

The RTBU is calling for more senior network officers to be deployed across the transport network and the installation of full protection barriers for drivers.

“The bus network has insufficient dedicated senior network officers to effectively patrol the network and provide real security for drivers and passengers,” he said.

“Half screen barriers are fitted to all BCC buses, but these have had virtually no effect on the numbers of assaults on our drivers.”

Route 100 is one of the worst bus routes for driver assaults, the union said.

Civic Cabinet chair for Transport Ryan Murphy said violent attacks on public transport workers were unacceptable.

“One assault on a bus driver is one too many,” he said.

“We have a zero-tolerance approach and want our bus drivers to feel safe at work.”

To protect drivers, Brisbane City Council said it has installed CCTV cameras and emergency buttons, anti-shatter windows, and a bus safety barrier on every city bus.

Brisbane City Council accused the union of “playing politics” when members should be “demanding their Labor State colleagues fund more transport officers”.

There are three notorious Brisbane routes which are the most dangerous for bus drivers, Mr Brown said.

The worst is route 100, followed by the 110 and the 330 to Bracken Ridge.

A route 100 bus was the setting of a violent brawl on a bus earlier this month, which was captured on film by an onlooker.

A woman, clutching her baby, was repeatedly hit during a brawl on a bus in Brisbane. Picture: Channel 9

On September 13, a bus driver was struck during a violent altercation on board a bus heading to Forest Lake from the city.

A shocking video has revealed the moment a woman, clutching a baby, was hit repeatedly during a violent brawl on a public bus in Brisbane.

Footage from the horrifying incident shows at least four people throwing punches and pulling hair in a confused and violent brawl in between the bus seats.

In the middle of the frantic melee is a woman clutching a baby in a cloth sling. She can be heard shouting “my baby” as the other two people hit and grab at her.

A passenger on the bus appears to see the baby and lurches forward to intervene in the fight, telling the group to leave the woman alone.

The video shows the bus driver leaving his seat at the front of the bus to walk up the aisle to break up the fight. However, one of the brawlers stops him in his tracks and pushes him in the chest.

Later in the video, the bus driver can be seen approaching the group again and attempting to disperse the group.

A woman can be seen holding her baby close to her chest. Picture: Channel 9

Mr Brown said the driver suffered minor injuries during the altercation on the bus, but that drivers often need ongoing assistance after an attack.

“Psychologically they’re not OK; they need a bit of counselling,” he said.

The video was obtained by Channel 9, who was told the brawl happened outside the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.

Queensland Police said they were not aware of the bus brawl and had not received any reports of a violent attack on a bus in the past week.