DNA kits for bus drivers to identify spitters ... but they’ve ‘given up’ reporting assaults to cops anyway: Union

Darwin bus drivers have been given DNA kits to help identify spitters ... but they’ve ‘given up’ reporting assaults to police due a widespread perception that nothing will be done as a result, their union says.

DARWIN bus drivers have “given up” reporting assaults due to a widespread perception that nothing will be done according to their union.

A spokesman for the Bus and Coach Drivers Association said DNA kits to help identify passengers who spat on drivers had been available for several years but were not widely used.

“Now the reason a lot of drivers have given up doing it is because nothing ever seems to come of it, nobody ever seems to do anything about it,” he said.

“There’s a perception among the drivers that nothing is going to happen.”

Darwin bus drivers have ‘given up’ reporting assaults due to a widespread perception that nothing will be done according to their union. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The spokesman said assaults on drivers happened “all the time”, including one incident in which a passenger “crawled over the top of the cage to get to a female driver”. “You know what happened after that? Nothing,” he said.

He said while the Territory government employed transit security officers to patrol the bus network, the scale of the problem was far beyond the scope of the resources provided.

“They do try and put three cars on the road, which is six transit officers, but more often than not there’s only two cars on so you’ve got two cars trying to cover, what, 100km?” he said.

“And at night time, you’ve got 30 buses and with the violence that happens, they just can’t get to it, it’s just impossible.”

Darwin bus drivers have ‘given up’ reporting assaults due to a widespread perception that nothing will be done according to their union. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Minister, Eva Lawler, said anti-social or abusive behaviour on buses was “unacceptable and will not be tolerated”.

“These officers are dedicated to providing support for our bus drivers. All buses and interchanges are equipped with CCTV, footage from interchanges and Cavenagh St is able to be monitored in real time by both police and transit safety,” she said.

“In December we introduced new legislation which will make an assault on a transit officer an arrestable offence,” she said.

“It will enable transit officers to ban people from entering buses and bus stations, where they have displayed offensive, threatening or violent behaviour.”