Amidst stories of hostage dramas in jail, drink driving actors and fatal stabbings, it was pleasure to read about some real heroes. And even more so, after the recent rugby brawl that made the news, that the heroes were just 16 and 17 years old.

Just before 7am, an Auckland schoolbus had just picked up a large group of school students ranging from primary right up to senior secondary school age. They were probably doing what large groups of children do – talking, laughing and being generally noisy.

A man who also boarded the bus took exception to this and, as the bus moved away from the stop, swore at the children. The bus driver told the man to be quiet, but the man began advancing down the bus, shouting, swearing and making racist remarks at the students.

The driver, a 56-year-old grandfather, grew concerned at the man’s behaviour and, believing he intended to harm the children, stopped the bus and demanded the man get off. Whereupon the man grabbed the driver, dragged him off the bus and onto the street, and began hitting him about the head and face.

The bus driver recalls, “He hit me the first time on the side of the head, which stunned me a bit. The second hit, I got an eyeful of blood in my right eye.”

The children on the bus shouted and pleaded with the man to stop, but the man continued to rain blows, hitting the driver another six or seven times.

Continued the driver, “That’s when I saw three to four pairs of feet go past me and I don’t know what [the students] did - yell or push him away - but it did the job. He ran off across the road.”

Other students called the police and an ambulance. A group of 16- and 17-year-old boys were identified as those who came to the aid of the bus driver.

“I didn’t see any of them. I don’t know their names, but they are good kids,” the driver said.

The bus driver’s union made a statement in which it said, “…we’re extremely grateful to the students who assisted [the driver]. It showed courage and most likely has saved this man’s life.” The union was planning a ceremony to acknowledge the students’ actions.

A man had been arrested and is to appear in court on charges of assault.