A bus driver has been bashed by a group of children he had confronted on the Gold Coast.
The man in his 60s was driving the bus on Springsure Dr in Mudgeeraba about 4.30pm on Thursday when he “exited the vehicle to speak with a group of three juveniles”, police said.
They bashed him before running from the scene.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
The man was taken to Pindara Hospital with serious injuries.
Witnesses have been asked to come forward as police hunt the three youths.
Queensland Transport Minister Bart Mellish described the incident as “really sad and disappointing”, saying safety was a top priority for the state’s public transport system.
Martin Hall from Kinetic, the transport company that operates the bus, said the victim had been driving buses for eight years.
He said the man was a “bit rattled” and “still in the recovery stages” while “under the watch of medical professionals”.
“I certainly hope they catch the people responsible, because everyone should be able to go to work and go home in the same position they went to work in,” Hall said.
Investigations continue.