Tauranga bus drivers will no longer stop at three of the city's main bus stops if they see youths gathered.

The boycott comes as drivers fear for their safety amid incidents of violence and aggression from young people at bus stops, most notably the Willow Street interchange.

Police say they were called to deal with a youth who was found with an offensive weapon on Willow Street on Wednesday.

First Union organiser Graham McKean told Heather Du Plessis-Allan bus drivers have no option but to avoid key bus stops for their own safety.

“They’re totally feeling threatened. It’s just a matter of time before some of them are seriously injured, harmed, or beyond that.”

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