A student travelling on an Auckland Transport bus through the North Shore has been left shaken after an unprovoked assault while on his way home from university.

Waitematā East area response manager Senior Sergeant Caroline Miles said police had connected a 36-year-old man, who was arrested later in the day on a separate matter, to the assault.

The 21-year-old student was “assaulted and punched” yesterday by an older man unknown to him while on the 83 bus route, which travels between Albany’s Massey University campus and through the northern bays to Takapuna, his father told the Herald.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the father said he wanted “to alert others who use the North Shore bus services to please stay alert and be cautious” of similar aggressive behaviour.

“No one should feel unsafe simply trying to get home,” he said.

Miles said police were notified about the assault about 11am on Thursday.

“The offender made derogatory comments towards the victim before assaulting them,” Miles said.

“The victim was able to exit the bus at the next stop.”

The man was later arrested “on an unrelated matter”, Miles said, and police had since spoken to him about the assault.

“Police would like to thank several members of the public who witnessed the assault and contacted police.”

Rachel Cara, AT Group Manager Public Transport Operations said they are aware of this incident.

“We are working with the bus operator and Police to assist with their enquiries.

“As this matter is still under investigation, we are unable to comment on the specifics or circumstances surrounding it, but we can say the incident is totally unacceptable to us here at AT and the communities we serve. Every single person who travels on our bus, train and ferry services deserves to do so safely.

“Although our teams at AT have an important role to play in helping to maintain and promote a safe environment on our services and at our facilities, the issue of community safety and antisocial behaviour extends well beyond public transport.

“AT is continuing to work closely with Auckland Council, Police, and other Government agencies with a role to play in keeping our communities safe. This helps us to coordinate our various safety initiatives and share information that helps us respond to safety trends more quickly and effectively.

“We deploy Transport Officers to public transport hubs and onboard buses, ferries, and trains to manage the safety and security of the network. All buses are fitted out with CCTV, GPS and panic buttons that record sound, connecting directly with the bus depot who can quicky respond and guide emergency services to intervene.

“Aucklanders take more than 2 million trips on public transport each week and though incidents of violent, threatening, and antisocial behaviour are rare, we continue to work closely with Police and community groups to manage this societal issue.”

The incident comes after a string of similar ones on public transport across the city, including one where a man was stabbed to death.