Brisbane commuters might want to give someone a spray over public transport costs, but just don't get any on the bus drivers.
Brisbane's bus drivers often come to work with DNA testing kits - and they aren't afraid to use them.
Made available to all 340 drivers at Brisbane's Garden City bus depot in 2009, the kits can be used to help identify disgruntled passengers who spit on drivers.
A Brisbane City Council spokeswoman says there were 13 spitting complaints made on the city's buses in the past financial year, and the kits were used three times to try to identify the culprits.
"However, the kits are as vital as a deterrent as they are for catching offenders," she said in a statement to AAP.
The kits, carried voluntarily, contain two swabs, two swab containers, an evidence continuity log, a hazard bag, a set of gloves, evidence tape to seal the containers and a copy of the evidence collection procedure.
They are accompanied by a sign in the bus warning passengers that drivers have the kits on board.
The council spokeswoman said any spitting assault is reported by the bus driver.
Swabs are collected and provided to police within 24 hours, she said.
If it is not possible to forward the sample to police in that time, it is refrigerated until police can collect it.
"Every movement or transportation of the swab is recorded," the spokeswoman said.
"The bus operator may provide a voluntary sample for exclusionary purposes."
