Who is affected · NSW evidence

Many offences are not reported.

Police-recorded figures are a floor, not the full measure of victimisation. Recent ABS estimates indicate that 41% of physical assaults and 56.5% of face-to-face threats in NSW were not reported to police.

Sign the Official Petition See the reporting gap

ABS benchmarks cover all locations. No reliable NSW bus-stop-specific under-reporting percentage was identified.

ABS Crime Victimisation 2024–25

Recorded figures do not capture every incident

No reliable NSW bus-stop-specific reporting percentage was identified. These recent ABS benchmarks cover all locations.

A young adult woman waiting completely alone at a small suburban NSW bus stop at night — Representative campaign image
A quiet stop can feel very different when you are waiting alone after dark.

Physical assault41.0%

estimated not reported

Reported to police: 59.0%
Scope: NSW, pooled 2023–25; people aged 15+; all locations

Face-to-face threatened assault56.5%

estimated not reported

Reported to police: 43.5%
Scope: NSW, pooled 2023–25; people aged 15+; all locations

Sexual assault experienced by women84%

estimated not reported

Reported to police: 16%
Scope: Australia, 2024–25; women aged 18+; all locations; elevated sampling error

Police-recorded figures are a floor, not a full measure of victimisation. Recent ABS estimates indicate that 41% of physical assaults and 56.5% of face-to-face threats in NSW were not reported to police. Nationally, an estimated 84% of sexual assaults experienced by women were not reported. These estimates cover all locations; no reliable bus-stop-specific reporting rate was identified.

Source: ABS Crime Victimisation 2024–25

What “bus premises” means

BOCSAR's category includes buses, bus depots, passenger terminals and bus stops. These are not bus-stop-only figures.

NSW recorded incidents

Not every offence followed the same pattern

Annual police-recorded incident counts at NSW bus premises from July 2021 to June 2026.

NSW recorded incidents at bus premises. Source: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Recorded offence	2021–22	2022–23	2023–24	2024–25	2025–26
Assault, excluding assault police	274	410	403	422	391
Sexual offences	58	98	84	63	89
Intimidation, stalking and harassment	118	169	164	143	148
Robbery	23	23	18	18	25
Malicious damage to property	108	99	111	101	121
Offensive conduct and offensive language	56	40	42	44	42

Source and method: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Crime Mapping Tool, filtered to NSW, incidents, bus premises and July 2021–June 2026. Counts are financial-year totals. The trend uses monthly population-adjusted rates across the full period. See the methodology guide and the public-transport workbook.

Greater Sydney comparison

A useful comparison—with limits

Custom totals of the 14 BOCSAR SA4 regions beginning “Sydney –”. These are raw incident counts, not an official statistical trend.

Greater Sydney custom incident-count comparison.
Recorded offence	2021–22	2022–23	2023–24	2024–25	2025–26	First-to-last change
Assault, excluding assault police	184	273	294	281	293	+59.2%
Sexual offences	40	69	60	45	55	+37.5%
Intimidation, stalking and harassment	76	113	116	92	93	+22.4%

The first-to-last comparison is not a statistical trend test. The COVID-affected 2021–22 baseline may exaggerate the apparent increase.

Children and women

Who appears in the latest victim records?

The 2025–26 profile covers assault, sexual offences, intimidation, stalking and harassment, plus robbery at NSW bus premises.

A teenage student, an adult commuter, a wheelchair user and an older resident waiting together at a suburban NSW bus stop — Representative campaign image
Public-transport safety matters across generations, circumstances and abilities.

668

recorded victim records

Across the four selected personal-offence categories.

271

aged 0–17

40.6% of the 668 recorded victim records.

320

female victims

47.9% of the 668 recorded victim records.

Age and gender groups overlap and must not be added together. These are police-recorded victim records—not a prevalence estimate or necessarily unique individuals. “Bus premises” remains broader than bus stops.

Women and vulnerable people

Safety shapes everyday choices

These sources add context about perceived safety and vulnerability. They cover wider settings and must not be presented as bus-stop crime trends.

Women after dark

59%

feel unsafe in NSW public spaces after dark

9 in 10 say safety affects the routes they choose.
3 in 4 would walk more if they felt safer.

Transport for NSW safety survey, 2026. Perception evidence concerning public spaces and transport-hub precincts—not a recorded-crime trend.

NSW Government source

People with disability

Higher national victimisation rates

Physical assault: 2.8% vs 1.4%
Face-to-face threats: 3.3% vs 1.7%
Robbery: 0.5% vs 0.2%

ABS 2024–25 comparison of people with a disability or restrictive condition and people without one. All locations—not bus stops.

ABS source

Verified public statements

Authorities acknowledge the safety problem

No verified Police or political quotation was found that says bus stops are becoming progressively more unsafe. These statements acknowledge the problem; they are not trend evidence.

Every woman knows that feeling of clutching your keys … on the way from a bus stop or train station.

Marjorie O’NeillNSW Parliamentary Secretary for Transport · 8 March 2026

Acknowledges women’s fear on the journey to and from transport stops—not a crime-trend claim.

View source

We intend to use the full power of the NSW Police to continue to crackdown on violent crimes across our public transport network.

Stephen HegartyNSW Police Assistant Commissioner · 5 August 2024

Recognises violent crime across Sydney public transport—broader than buses and bus stops.

View source

The community have a right to use public transport free from violent and predatory behaviour.

Natasha TelferNSW Police Inspector · 30 August 2026

Addresses violence and sexual offending on the wider transport network—not a trend statement.

View source

Wider network response

Operation Waratah

NSW Police says the operation, established in 2024, targets violence and sexual offending across trains, buses, ferries, Metro services and surrounding precincts.

1,800+arrests

3,000+charges

NSW Police sourceOperation outputs—not bus-stop counts or proof of a trend.

Recent public reports

Serious incidents within the five-year window

These examples show that serious incidents occur. Individual cases do not establish a trend by themselves.

August 2023

Parramatta bus stop

NSW Police reported that a 16-year-old schoolgirl was assaulted and treated for multiple injuries; two alleged offenders were later dealt with or charged.

NSW Police release republished by National Tribune

August 2025

Mount Druitt bus station

A 19-year-old man described by support workers as vulnerable and living with disabilities was fatally stabbed; another 19-year-old survived.

ABC News

July 2026

Haymarket bus stop

NSW Police said a 29-year-old man sustained facial injuries in an alleged assault; two women were charged.

NSW Police

September 2026

Hunter-region bus

Police appealed for information after an unknown man allegedly touched a girl travelling with two other girls between Kurri Kurri and Gillieston Heights.

NSW Police

Read the evidence responsibly

What the research supports

Credibility depends on keeping the claim as precise as the evidence.

Supported by the evidence

Recorded assault at NSW bus premises rose at a statistically significant population-adjusted rate of 8.3% per year over the five years to June 2026.

Sources and further reading

Evidence into action

Prioritise the places of greatest risk.

Assess schoolchild-heavy stops, busy interchanges, locations with recorded or recurring incidents, poorly lit or isolated stops and late-night routes—then fund targeted CCTV, lighting, clear sightlines and rapid evidence-preservation arrangements.

Sign the Official NSW ePetitionSigning takes place on the official NSW Parliament website.