3 months ago
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Brisbane bus drivers have doubled down on demands for a complete rollout of full protective screens on council vehicles after a vicious assault left a driver with severe injuries.
On the night of November 7, the father-of-three suffered a fractured neck, fractured jaw, broken nose, and lost several teeth when he was attacked on the 340 service in Kelvin Grove. He is likely to never work again.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union led a protest on City Hall on Tuesday, revealing the attack was one of more than 60 driver assaults every month in Brisbane, with that number spiking beyond 200 in September.
RTBU protest outside Brisbane City Hall on Tuesday afternoon. Credit: William Davis
More than two dozen bus drivers, union members and Labor Party councillors gathered in King George Square on Tuesday ahead of the afternoon council meeting.
“They’re not taking this seriously,” bus division secretary Tom Brown said.
“While our drivers are getting smashed out there, the Lord Mayor is dillying and dallying and blaming other people.”
Brown accused the LNP leadership of ignoring the problem. He called for universal installation of full protective screens for drivers and permanent bans for those convicted of violent behaviour on public transport.
“For the last few years, people have been leaving the job in droves, and the violence that bus drivers are subjected to and the abuse they’re subjected to is probably the number one reason they’re having trouble recruiting,” the union leader added.
About 300 of more than 1000 buses already have full protective screens and there are plans for that number to increase to about 400 next year.
But the union said the rollout is not happening fast enough, and accused the council of squandering previous state government funding on partial barriers bus drivers did not want.
It also reported the driver who was attacked had requested a bus with a full screen on the night of his assault, but was told none were available.
“No violence or attack or abuse against our bus drivers is acceptable,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said an hour later in the council chambers.
“We’ve always had that view, and we’ve always worked incredibly hard to support our wonderful bus operators who do a fantastic job.”
He added the council was using a $950,000 grant from the state government to speed up the rollout.
Labor councillor Lucy Collier moved a motion for the Living in Brisbane newsletter to be suspended for a year to fund 80 new protective screens. It was voted down by all LNP members.
The man who allegedly assaulted the driver in November has been charged and remains on bail.
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