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Source: ONE News -
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Go Wellington has suspended late night services at the Lyall Bay terminus after a bus driver was attacked and his cash box stolen on Tuesday.
The driver suffered a broken arm and cut to his head after a man boarded the bus, parked at the terminus, and demanded money at about 10.20pm Tuesday.
As the driver handed over his cash box the offender struck the driver with a metal object. He then made off with a small amount of cash and was last seen running towards Hungerford Road.
NZ Bus general manager operations Zane Fulljames said what happened was "unacceptable".
"That it is the third incident in 12 months is simply untenable," he said.
"As a result, we have acted swiftly to make changes to services in order to ensure the safety and security of our people and our customers."
Fulljames said his company is working closely with Greater Wellington Regional Council to address the lighting in this area.
Until this was addressed, services would no longer drop off or pick up from Lyall Bay terminus after 8.30pm.
Detective Sergeant Michael Priston of Wellington police said attacks on bus drivers occurred from time to time, but it wasn't frequent.
"In the scheme of things, it's a really simple robbery and the offender isn't going to walk away with a lot of money."
Priston said police had canvassed the area and were urging the public to come forward with any information about Tuesday's attack.
The offender is described as a Maori or possibly Polynesian male of slim build, 1.78m tall.
He was wearing a black beanie and a bandana over his face, grey coloured trousers and a long sleeve top.
Residents living nearby were asked to search their properties for the cash box, likely to have been discarded, the weapon and any discarded clothing.
