Drivers were calling for further safety measures after the stabbing. Photo:
There has been a "continuous attack" on bus drivers, the Tramways Union says, following the stabbing of an Auckland bus driver.
The driver was stabbed twice in White Swan Road in Mount Roskill about 7:30pm on Saturday.
He was released from Auckland City Hospital on Monday morning.
It is understood the knife scraped but did not puncture the driver's lungs, meaning he avoided invasive surgery.
A 62-year-old man has appeared in court, charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He will face a judge-alone trial in May, remaining in custody until then.
Auckland Tramways Union president Gary Froggart told Morning Report members faced being verbally abused and spat at, and the union was meeting on Monday to consider its options.
"There is pressure to call a stopwork meeting of the drivers. It's something we're considering and we'll be talking to the company today."
The drivers were calling for further safety measures, he said.
Froggart said while the situation had not got worse, there was "a continuous attack on drivers".
"Not only do we face this type of offender but they're abused and spat on.
"It's mainly drugs and alcohol [fuelled], mainly in the evenings, passengers trying to get free rides."
The Queen Street Link bus service in Auckland was the worst, he said.
"The drivers have had enough. We've been talking to the company for a long time about this and to Auckland Transport, and obviously the drivers are now getting to the point where they want something done.
Fourteen days' notice would be given for a stopwork meeting.
Auckland Transport executive general manager Stacey Van Der Putten said their thoughts were with the driver and his whānau following the stabbing.
"We want all our drivers to be safe and able to get home to their whānau at the end of their shift after providing such important services to Aucklanders.
"We will be working with our operator and NZ Police on their investigation to understand how this incident eventuated."
