Police are investigating after a bus driver was allegedly punched in the face and "had some teeth knocked" out in Avondale.
Police said it was alerted to the incident at about 10.17am yesterday.
"The driver received facial injuries and was transported to hospital," a spokesperson said.
"Police are making inquiries into the assault to identify those involved."
Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt said the driver was allegedly punched in the face by a passenger.
Froggatt wanted more to be done about "issues like this".
"I realise you can't have a policeman on every bus, but the drivers and the unions seem to be left out of the conversation.
"He's in hospital getting stitches put in his knee. He had his teeth knocked out," he said.
Froggatt said he got "about three or four calls like this" from drivers a month.
"I feel for the family, the drivers should be able to go to work and go home safe."
Auckland Transport said it was aware of the incident and assisting police with their investigation.
Group manager of public transport operations Rachel Cara said the bus operator was ensuring the driver has the support they need.
"We operate over 13,000 bus services every weekday and fortunately the majority of our passengers are amazing, but these isolated incidents are concerning.
"Our bus drivers work tirelessly to keep Aucklanders moving and deserve to feel safe in their place of work.
"We continue to work closely with police, other agencies and communities to improve safety on public transport."
Police urged witnesses to call 105.
===============================================
www.1news.co.nz...
==============================================
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Free Used/Unused Gift Wrappers
Hi, those who have unwrapped their Christmas presents or Birthday presents & don't need the gift wrappers. I'd like to have them to reuse instead of throwing away. I'm looking for used gift wrappers & bouquet flowers wrappers in any condition or extra pieces unused gift wrappers to use for myself. Please message on Neighbourly or on 0220416592 to pick up. I can come & pick up at any locations. Thank you