THE operator of Transperth buses in the northern suburbs believes it is only a matter of time before someone is hurt, after a spate of rock attacks on buses.
There have been 50 incidents of rocks being thrown at buses in the northern suburbs in the last month.
Public Transport Authority contractor Path Transit operations manager Graham Wills said in the most recent attack last Saturday night, a large limestone block was thrown through the window of a bus, narrowly missing a teenage girl.
WA Transport Workers’ Union bus industry organiser Kevin Starr called for a change in legislation to make prosecution easier.
“Under the current legislation, prosecutors need to prove someone who throws an object at a moving vehicle intended to cause harm,” he said
“So what happens is they say, ‘Oh I didn’t mean to cause any damage, I didn’t know what I was doing’, and they get off.”
“It’s getting to be an almost nightly occurrence and if it keeps getting worse it’ll get to the stage where we will refuse to do certain routes.”
Mr Starr said additional security resources, combined with new legislation, would deter further attacks.
Joondalup police station Senior Sergeant Jeff Andrijdsvich said the attacks were of great concern.
“If anyone sees people hanging around on overpasses or on the side of the road, they should phone 131 444 and give a description of the individuals,” he said.