Two teenage girls were assaulted and robbed by a group of youths during a daylight bus ride in Auckland, as violent incidents on public transport continue to escalate. The attack left the girls with facial injuries and has sparked a police investigation.
The incident occurred on August 17 when the two girls boarded a bus on West Tamaki Road, near the St Heliers Bay Road intersection, around 1pm. A group of young males and females reportedly confronted the teens, demanding their belongings. Both girls were assaulted, with one sustaining facial bruising.
Auckland Transport (AT) confirmed that the bus operator had provided footage of the attack to assist police. Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Anthony Darvill of Auckland City East CIB stated that police were following "positive lines of enquiry" regarding the aggravated robbery. Darvill added that a group of young people had been located and interviewed following the incident, and further investigations were ongoing.
The two victims, believed to be 14 years old, were reportedly on their way to Sylvia Park shopping mall and were left "badly shaken" by the attack, according to a social media post.
This assault follows a troubling rise in violence on Auckland’s public transport network. In April, a man was charged with assault after attacking a bus driver in Ponsonby, and in July, a 39-year-old woman was arrested for assaulting a schoolboy with a metal rod on a bus.
Auckland Transport data shows a sharp increase in violence against bus drivers. In the first six months of 2024, 33 assaults on drivers were recorded, compared to 21 in the same period in 2023. Over the course of 2023, there were 51 recorded assaults on drivers, with over 120 instances of verbal abuse. This marks a significant rise from 2022, when 24 assaults and over 50 cases of verbal abuse were reported.
Authorities are urging the public to report any incidents of violence or abuse on public transport as investigations into this latest attack continue.
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