Bus drivers encouraged to wear black arm bands in memory of killed colleague

Queensland's Transport Workers Union has encouraged bus drivers to wear black arms bands over the coming week in memory of their colleague Manmeet Alisher, who was killed after being set alight at the wheel in Brisbane.

Manmeet Alisher. Source: Manmeet Alisher

The Queensland Transport Worker's Union (TWU) has renewed its call to ramp up measures to protect bus drivers after Manmeet Alisher of the state's Punjabi community was burnt to death.

TWU's branch secretary Peter Biagini said: "Enough is enough, we need the community to get on board and improve safety for our bus drivers.

"Events like today are why we have been so passionate in arguing for the 'Get on Board' campaign." 

The campaign is urging the Queensland Government to direct its transport service Translink to:

• introduce driver protection screens on high-risk Translink Service Buses
• move to a fully cashless fare system
• increase the length of jail sentences for perpetrators of attacks against passengers and drivers
• introduce risk-management programs to improve drivers' capacity to reduce violence at work
• increase security on high-risk routes to improve safety for passengers and drivers.

Violence against bus drivers is an issue we know all too well, Mr Biagini continued.

"We know that bus drivers are on the front line, providing a crucial public service to the community, but are too often the victims of senseless acts of violence."

Mr Biagini added that a Sunbus Sunshine Coast member had called in suggesting that all bus drivers wear a black armband for the next week in memory of Mr Alisher. 

"For the next week we are encouraging drivers to wear a black armband to show respects to the driver who was lost."

Manmeet Alisher, 29, was killed when an "incendiary device" was thrown at him while he was letting passengers on at Moorooka on Friday morning.

A 48-year-old man, described by police as "compliant" was arrested at the scene and charged with murder and eleven counts of attempted murder late on Friday night.

Accused bus driver killer 'numb': lawyer

A man accused of setting a Brisbane bus driver on fire is "numb" after being charged with murder, his lawyer says.

Anthony O'Donohue, 48, appeared briefly in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with killing Manmeet Alisher at a Moorooka bus stop the day before.

Lawyer Adam Magill told media he had concerns for O'Donohue's mental health and his client was feeling "numb" as he tried to come to terms with what happened.

With AAP