Students urge council to improve safety at Christchurch Bus Interchange
Christchurch Bus Interchange.
Photo:
RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Two Christchurch high school students have urged city councillors to improve safety at the city's bus interchange.
Year 13 student Ruby-Grace Miller and Year 12 student Freya Scott surveyed a group of 235 students from 10 schools across the city about their experience at the Colombo Street bus hub, which has has a reputation for after-school fights, bullying and other bad behaviour.
They told councillors at a meeting on Wednesday that 74 percent of respondents reported feeling unsafe or uncomfortable at the interchange.
More than 80 percent said they had seen at least one instance of aggressive behaviour, intoxicated people, vandalism, property damage, security guards acting unprofessionally, or had felt watched or harassed.
Miller, an Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery student, said she had been harassed and cat-called by homeless people using the bus interchange for shelter, rather than public transport.
She said security guards needed better training.
Freya Scott and Ruby-Grace Miller presented to Christchurch city councillors on Wednesday.
Photo:
Joe Shaw
"Too many of us have seen them vaping, ignoring fights or acting in ways that escalate harm. That is not protection, that is putting us in more danger," she said.
"Security guards on the bus who are dealing with behaviour on the bus cannot deal with it at the interchange. That is an issue."
Scott, a student at Avonside Girls' High School, said she was harassed when she first took a bus in Year 7.
"That was terrifying. I did not bus for two years after that until I started taking the school bus again. That experience was horrible and should not be happening on the buses," she said.
Christchurch City Council said Red Badge provided security within the bus interchange, while the Canterbury Regional Council said First Security staff worked on board buses as part of a trial that began in April 2024.
The regional council's acting general manager of public transport Sonia Pollard said the "customer support team" was responsible for responding to any safety issues and helped commuters.
Freya Scott and Ruby-Grace Miller.
Photo:
Joe Shaw
"The team has proved to be effective at reducing incidents on the network and customer feedback has been positive. As a result, we have extended the trial, and the team may become permanent," she said.
The city council was
blasting classical music from speakers
at the interchange in a trial aimed at making the bus interchange safer and discouraging big groups of people from loitering outside, while The Igloo youth hub opened last year as part of efforts to tackle youth violence.
Miller called for more funding for Igloo youth workers and suggested extending the youth hub's after-school opening hours.
"It is a small space but it delivers such amazing resources. It is staffed by trained youth workers and I see them as a middleman between another friend and a security guard," she said.
"They are there to de-escalate, they are there to make you feel safe, but they are also there as a friend, you can talk to them and they are a lot more approachable."
Separately, the Otago Regional Council's public and active transport committee would consider a review of local and international city safety plans on Thursday, following the
stabbing death of 16-year-old Enere Taana-McLaren at Dunedin's bus hub
in Great King Street in May 2024.
The report noted 2024 police victimisation data showed that the area around the Dunedin Bus Hub and parts of the Octagon had a higher concentration of reported crime.
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