The death of a passenger stabbed on an Auckland bus yesterday has been acknowledged by Greater Wellington at today’s Transport Committee meeting.

Chair of the regional council Daran Ponter says the death has “shocked and saddened” councillors and Metlink officers.

“Our thoughts are with family and friends of the victim, as well as the bus driver and Auckland Transport staff,” Cr Ponter says.

“We can only imagine the feeling in the Onehunga community following this senseless tragedy. While it could have happened anywhere, it’s extremely disappointing that passengers may now feel unsafe on public transport.

“For all public transport authorities, the safety of passengers and front-line staff is our number one priority. As we consider if such tragedies can be prevented onboard our services, I remind the public that violent crime is not increasing on the Metlink network.

“On the rare occasions it does occur, Metlink and our operators protect our communities by quickly sharing information and CCTV footage with police.

“We’re grateful to police in Wellington for swiftly responding to incidents on our network and to police in Auckland for investigating this horrific crime with vigour.”

© Scoop Media