As parents and carers prepare sending their children back to school, the Finocchiaro CLP Government continues to prioritise community safety with a targeted two-day high visibility operation at the Palmerston Bus Interchange and the Trower Road and Bradshaw Terrace bus stops.
Starting this morning, NT Transit Officers will join NT Police and officers from Public Order Response, Territory Safety Division and School Engagement when students are travelling to and from school.
Minister for Logistics and Infrastructure Bill Yan said he welcomed the increased presence of police and officers.
"Community safety is the top priority of the Finocchiaro CLP Government and this includes making sure everyone feels safe when catching a bus for school," he said.
Mr Yan said the operation was one of many initiatives delivered by the CLP to reduce anti-social behaviour, improve safety and enhance service delivery.
"Territorians expect a safe bus network, and we continue to work hard making it a better experience for passengers and drivers," he said.
"We've shut the Darwin interchanges, installed more CCTV cameras, boosted direct radio links to transit officers and improved the bus tracking app so our passengers can better plan their trip."
"And our valued drivers are now protected with safety screens installed in every bus across Darwin and Alice Springs," he said.
"And while the vast majority of passengers do the right thing, we've also given Transit Officers more powers to do their job and address those who don't."
Minister Yan said closing the Darwin bus interchanges in October and moving to smaller, decentralised stops has seen strong results.
"Since the closure of the Casuarina Bus Interchange, we've had a 65 per cent drop in incidents requiring a response from the Transit Safety Unit, proving this was the right approach," he said.
He said today's high visibility strategy will further increase safety.
"These operations see a marked drop in anti-social behaviour across the bus network after the first day, further reassuring the community," he said.
