Transit officers have been given powers to ban or arrest public transport passengers in an effort to crack down on anti-social behaviour on the Territory’s buses.

The increased powers come as a result of bus drivers raising safety concerns with the NT Government about thousands of cases of abuse, violent assaults and rock throwing that have occurred over the years.

Nearly two years ago, a contingent of bus drivers wrote a letter to the government threatening a class action lawsuit on the grounds that the government had breached its duty of care as it was aware of the serious safety issues facing bus drivers but had done nothing about it.

Administrative changes to the Public Transport (Passenger Safety) Act of 2008 that took effect Monday and recent procedural training, will now give transit officers more authority to deal with antisocial behaviour, including issuing ban notices to people who break the law or commit antisocial activity on buses or at bus stops and interchanges.

They will also now have arrest powers if a transit officer is assaulted or if a person commits a range of offences in the vicinity of a bus or bus interchange, as well as powers to “deal” with a person who assaults someone or damages property when the offender is outside a bus interchange.

“More broadly, contracted security officers also have increased powers and can now demand a person to supply their name, date of birth and address, give direction and require someone to get off a bus or to keep away from a bus stop or bus interchange, but without the power to use force to remove the person,” the government said in a statement.

Transport Workers Union Branch Secretary for the Northern Territory Ian Smith said it was a “step in the right direction” to fix the safety concerns and welcomed “anything that encourages safety in the network”.

But the union said more work was needed to fully address all safety concerns.

“Once people start to see that there are consequences to their actions, we could certainly see changes in their behaviour, and that’s what we want,” he said on Mix 104.9.

“Darwin is a sophisticated city and it’s got a great public transport system. Its buses … need to be safe.”

Mr Smith added that more security officers and more driver protection screens were also needed.

Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Minister Eva Lawler said the new measures would ensure safety for the drivers and all public transport passengers.

“Passengers and bus drivers have a right to feel safe when using the public transport network, and these new powers will assist our hard-working Transit Officers to maintain a peaceful environment on our buses,” she said.