Brisbane bus drivers have endured more instances of being spat at and verbally abused even as physical assaults dropped in the past year, new data shows.
The data, provided to the Rail, Tram and Bus Union by Brisbane City Council, show there were 20 spitting offences against drivers in 2021/22, compared to 14 the financial year before.
Rail, Tram and Bus Union Secretary Tom Brown told ABC Radio Brisbane it was more common these days because it was "easier to spit and run", causing significant psychological damage to bus drivers.
"The guys have to have a lot of tests done and then it's a up to a three-month wait for some of the tests to come back," he said.
"The psychological effects are devastating. I've spoken to people that have been spat on. They say, 'I wish they had hit me'."
Verbal abuse, objects thrown
Incidents of passengers berating drivers with derogatory remarks, obscene language and rude gestures also rose from 509 to 561, while extreme verbal abuse rose from 87 to 126.
The other major jump in offences was objects thrown, which rose from just two incidents in 2020/21 to 13 in 2021/22.
A Brisbane bus driver, who asked to use the name Pete, was abused earlier this month.
"They tried to bring a can of alcohol on the bus and when I told them they couldn't they drank it all and got on the bus," he said.
"They wouldn't stop abusing me from the back of the bus until I pulled over and called the police."
In the same period, physical violence against drivers dropped from 18 incidents to nine, while low grade physical contact remained steady – six incidents in 2020/21 and seven in in 2021/22.
All Brisbane buses now have either a partial or fully enclosed screen, but Mr Brown was sceptical about how useful the partial screens were.
"First of all, I'll say I'm pleased but look, I don't think it's the screens, it could be the de-escalation training the drivers are doing. It's rear-door boarding, it's that passengers are down because of the pandemic," he said.
Mr Brown said the drop was due to rear-door boarding, put in place as a pandemic restriction, and lower passenger numbers.
The data shows that assaults were higher in 2019/20 and 2020/21 – during the height of pandemic restrictions in Brisbane.
Mr Brown renewed the union's long-running calls for fully enclosed screens and more authorised officers with the power to police fare evasion to patrol buses.
"You clear up fare evasion, you clear up bus driver violence. The free rides have got to be over."
'Abhorrent' behaviour condemned
Brisbane City Council Transport Chair Cr Ryan Murphy said it was "absolutely abhorrent" that anyone would abuse a bus driver.
He said the council had already consulted on the benefits and problems with partial and fully encapsulated screens – with mixed reviews from drivers.
"The union is definitely one voice and a useful voice in this discussion, but we have this discussion directly with our drivers and some really don't like the idea of being locked in a little cage," he said.
"Many drivers liked the idea of full encapsulation; many absolutely hated it and didn't want to proceed down that option."
He said the council's fleet included buses with fully enclosed and partial screens, while the new Brisbane Metro buses would have separate cabins.
A spokesperson for Translink said the Queensland Police Service was the lead authority for investigating assault and anti-social behaviour but it was committed to helping provide a safe workplace for public transport staff.
"The vast majority of the almost 81 million trips taken on buses in Queensland during the 2021-22 financial year were taken safely and without incident," the spokesperson said.
"Our targeted commitment to staff and customer safety includes deploying Senior Network Officers (SNOs) to support Queensland Police Service (QPS) operations to address anti-social behaviour on the South East Queensland bus network."
Translink did not commit to deploying more officers on Brisbane buses.
Editor's Note (1/09/22): The story has been edited to remove misleading references to saliva borne diseases.
