‘Absolutely devastating': Bus driver allegedly stabbed in neck during Sunshine Coast attack
Emergency services were called to Caloundra Station, near Cooma Tce and Latona Ave, at about 11.30am on Saturday following reports of a fight between two men.
Police allege the altercation between a 44-year-old Parrearra man and the older man, a working bus driver, escalated into a stabbing, leaving the 67-year-old with serious injuries.
He was assessed by paramedics at the scene before being taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a serious but non-life-threatening condition.
According to the Transport Workers Union, he underwent surgery to close the laceration on his neck on Sunday and is now recovering.
The 44-year-old man was arrested and charged with serious assault of a person over 60, acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, and possession of a knife in a public space.
He was due to face Caloundra Magistrates Court on Monday.
The attack has reignited calls for improved safety measures for Queensland bus drivers, with the TWU demanding the immediate reinstatement of the Bus Safety Forum, a statewide initiative scrapped by TransLink and the Queensland government.
In a statement released on Monday, the TWU said the incident was the latest in 'a string of violence' affecting public transport workers, claiming there had been 'countless incidents and five high-profile attacks on drivers and passengers in as many months'.
TWU Queensland director of organising Josh Millroy said this latest assault was 'absolutely devastating'.
'TransLink and the state government's decision to scrap these safety forums, without any consultation with drivers or their union, is a disgrace,' Mr Millroy said.
'Five serious assaults since March and countless more incidents of aggression and verbal abuse shows the urgency of this issue.'
He said the forum had been the 'only structured platform' where drivers, unions, operators and government bodies came together to confront issues facing the public transport industry.
'Removing the forum removes transparency. It silences driver voices. It strips workers of a vital avenue to influence decisions that directly impact their safety,' Mr Millroy said.
The union said it had written to Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg more than a month ago, but hadn't received a response.
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