Teenager throws spear at bus driver in Mooroobool

There are calls for beefed up security at bus stops and for buses following a disturbing attack which saw a spear thrown at a Cairns driver.

UPDATE: There are calls for beefed up security at bus stops and for buses following a disturbing incident in Cairns which saw a spear thrown at a driver.

Queensland police are investigating the frightening attack in Mooroobool which allegedly saw the wooden projectile narrowly miss the driver and lodge in the steering wheel of a Sunbus vehicle.
The bus had stopped at the intersection of Grevillea and Mestrez St at around 6.15pm on Saturday, where the driver observed a group of four male youths.

Police are investigating after a teenage boy threw a wooden spear at a bus driver in Mooroobool.

Tablelands Patrol Group Acting Inspector Kyell Palmer said it’s believed a male teenager approached the stationary bus and, without warning, threw the spear through the open driver’s side window.

Director of Organising for the Transport Workers Union in Queensland, Jared Abbott, said the attack was just one of a spate of recent events involving missiles of various forms, including bricks and rocks being thrown at buses and bus drivers in the region.

He has called for the state government and TransLink to take the lead and employ more Customer Service Operators to patrol stops and “prioritise driver and passenger safety as a matter of urgency.”

“These events not only deter bus drivers from the profession, they are deterring the public from using buses,” he said.

“We know that almost every single bus driver in the state has experienced incidents like this.

“Any other workplace that experienced assaults and abuse so regularly would have around the clock security.”

Public transport users embark a Sunbus public bus at the city's main bus stop in Lake Street, Cairns. There are calls for tighter security following an attack on a driver on Saturday. Picture: Brendan Radke

The spear missed the 59-year-old male driver and lodged across the steering wheel.

The boy, who is described as First Nations and wearing a red shirt, then fled south on Mestrez Street.

Police have seized the spear for forensic analysis and investigations are ongoing with police appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information which can assist with the investigation to contact them.

Mr Abbott said better security would help deter “anti-social activity” and also inform vital information to be provided to authorities in order to identify the offenders.

“We know from the election results that there is a growing call for more action on climate change, and there is no better solution than increasing use on public transport, but we can’t achieve that if people are scared to catch the bus and drivers are leaving the industry,” he said.

TWU Queensland has a campaign for safer buses called Our Public Transport, and is offering ongoing support to any driver who experiences assaults or abuse.

Sunbus has been contacted for comment.

Police are also appealing to the boy involved to contact them.

Originally published as Teenager throws spear at bus driver in Mooroobool