Darwin bus driver attacked as Transport Workers Union SA/NT calls for urgent safety upgrades

A Darwin bus driver was repeatedly kicked in the head by a passenger in a horrifying daylight incident – prompting calls for the immediate upgrade to safety facilities on NT buses. LATEST.

Darwin Bus generic. Picture: Glenn Campbell

A Darwin bus driver was repeatedly kicked in the head by a passenger in a horrifying daylight incident as the transport union calls for the immediate upgrade to safety facilities on NT buses.

The Transport Workers’ Union put out a call on for upgraded driver protection screens to be immediately installed on all Darwin buses.

It comes after a passenger climbed over the barrier inside the bus and kicked the driver in the head.

The bus, the route of which was not specified, was driving on the Stuart Hwy in Pinelands just after midday on Monday, September 16, when the incident occurred.

The driver was able to safely bring the bus to a “sharp halt”, according to the TWU, and was taken to hospital.

Generic photograph of Darwin buses. Picture: Glenn Campbell

An NT Police spokesperson told this masthead on Wednesday the driver “suffered facial injuries” in the attack.

A 21-year-old man fled the scene when the bus stopped, police say.

The spokesperson said the man had since been arrested in relation to the incident.

They urged anyone with information relating to the alleged attack to contact police on 131 444, quoting reference number NTP2400092605.

TWU SA/NT branch secretary Sam McIntosh said the incident “could have been catastrophic”.

“The TWU has been calling for upgraded protection screens on Darwin buses for years, what happened (on Monday) cannot happen again.

“Our drivers and community deserve to be safe on public transport.”

The union claimed it had written to newly-minted Infrastructure and Logistics Minister Bill Yan as well as NT WorkSafe and NT Police regarding the incident.

“The roll out of upgraded screens cannot happen quickly enough and we are calling for the government to step in and address this,” Mr McIntosh said.

“We will be relentless in making sure that every driver is safe at work.”

Infrastructure and Logistics Minister Bill Yan. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Responding to this publication’s questions, Mr Yan said 17 of 79 Darwin buses currently had screens installed.

He said he expected the remainder would be completed by the end of the year.

“Community safety is our government’s first priority, and we are on track to deliver our promised reforms in the first sittings of Parliament including minimum mandatory sentencing for assaulting frontline workers,” he said.

“Such assaults on our frontline workers including bus drivers are completely unacceptable.”

It comes after former Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Minister Eva Lawler in October announced 17 Transit Safety Officers had completed their capsicum spray training.

Ms Lawler previously said the trained TSOs could use the weapons against commuters — including children — as a method of “last resort” if confronted with anti-social or violent behaviour.

It has not been confirmed if a Transit Safety Officer was on board the bus when the alleged incident occurred.