A Narre Warren man was allegedly verbally and physically assaulted by two unknown offenders on a bus in the late evening of Wednesday 7 January.
The Narre Warren man, who does not want to be named, told Star News that one of the men landed two blows, one to his jaw and another to the back of the head where he sustained bruises and lingering pain.
The altercation, he says, left more than a physical impact and he is now seriously considering moving away from the outer south-east.
The alleged attack occurred as he was coming back from work in the city about 8:30pm and due to bus replacing trains, his plan was to get to Narre Warren Station from Glen Waverley station by bus, he recalls the bus being relatively busy and having to sit in the back portion of the vehicle.
The two offenders who got on at Dandenong Station sat behind the alleged victim and began to verbally abuse and according to the man “harassing” him by pulling his hair, shirt and bag.
“I was also sitting in the back seat, and as soon as they got in, they started harassing me, they started touching my hair, pulling it from the back and just calling me names,” the man told Star News.
The two offenders were also reported to be “harassing” two underage girls who later reported the incident to police.
“They were also harassing two very young girls in the bus sitting in between me and I later got to know they were actually under age, just 14 years,“ he said.
He told Star News that the first blow to the back of this head followed him telling the two men to stop.
“They were sitting in the back seat at the darkest part of the bus where there is no light,” he said.
“And I look back at one point and I told them, guys, ‘what are you doing, just relax’.
“And that agitated one of the guys… and he just immediately came to where I was sitting, and he started punching me very hard.
“His first hard blow landed in my head and my glasses fell off.
“And a second blow landed on my jawbone.
“And both are very painful.”
Scared of further aggravation, the man informed the bus driver, despite the continued shouting of the offenders.
It was at this time that the two offenders are believed to have pressed the emergency button, the driver stopped the bus between Hallam and Dandenong, where they were able to flee.
Following the alleged attack, he spoke to the bus driver and police and requested footage of the ordeal, but he was advised that there were no cameras present at the back of the bus.
Speaking to Protective Services Officers (PSOs) at Narre Warren Station about 10:40pm, the man requested to be checked by paramedics, due to feeling dizzy after the blow to the head.
Recounting on the attack, the man says the route to and from work has become unpredictable, and that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
“I’m just now deciding to move out of Narre Warren and move somewhere better,” he said.
“I just bought my first home here a couple of years ago and I really love the place, but it’s getting insanely difficult to go to the city,”
“And it’s just extremely difficult because it’s very far, and the train just doesn’t even run, most of the days.
“There’s just so many train disruptions and this kind of crime, it has completely changed my mind. I just don’t feel safe anymore.
“Taking public transport, I’ll never feel safe again.”
South Eastern MP Ann Marie Hermans has also spoken to the Narre Warren man, and said that all “Victorians should be able to travel safely on public buses.”
“Aggressive violent behaviour is unacceptable in our community and it’s un-Australian,” said the MP.
According to 2025 data from the Crime Statistics Agency, offences on or near public transport have increased from 13,941 reports in 2024, to 16,377 reported offences in 2025 — a spike of more than 17 per cent.
The majority of offences occurred at train stations, railway carparks followed by buses and bus stops.
