BUS drivers in Scotland have reported “record” levels of abuse, sparking concerns over safety on public transport.
A survey of 1100 bus drivers across Scotland, conducted by trade union Unite and published on Thursday, found that 84% of drivers experienced an increase in the number of instances of abuse at work in the last 12 months.
Where respondents said they had been a victim of abuse, 83% said it was verbal abuse, 16% physical abuse, while 1% said they had experienced sexual abuse or assault.
We told how operator McGill’s Buses warned it may be forced to withdraw services in Paisley after reports of youths “terrorising” bus drivers and passengers.
Unite said bus drivers are experiencing abuse at “historic high levels”, and that while anti-social behaviour on public transport has existed since before the free bus travel scheme was extended to include under 22s, the rate of incidents has since increased.
The trade union has been campaigning to improve bus driver safety in the aftermath of the death of Keith Rollinson, a driver who died after being assaulted at his place of work in Elgin in February.
Unite called on the Scottish Government to hold a public transport safety summit involving all key stakeholders including unions, bus companies, transport bodies, local authorities and the police.
More than three quarters (79%) of respondents said the abuse suffered was not reported to the police, while nearly half (48%) did not report it to their employer.
For those who did report an abuse incident, 69% said they were dissatisfied with their employer’s response.
Nearly all (99%) of those surveyed said they supported stronger legislative measures to protect bus drivers.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham (below) said the figures were “staggering”, as she called on the Scottish Government to “step up and step in”.
Graham said: “Urgent measures must be taken to address the staggering level of abuse being suffered by bus drivers. In no way is this acceptable. Unite members will not tolerate abuse any longer.
“The Scottish Government has to step up and step in to ensure our members feel safe at work. A do nothing response is not an option.
“Unite is working with its members to explore all options to ensure endemic workplace abuse is tackled in the workplace.”
Unite’s Scottish Secretary, Derek Thomson, said legislation is needed “without delay”.
He said: “A public transport safety summit involving all key stakeholders needs to happen as a first step. This is a national public safety issue affecting drivers and passengers.”
“We need legislation, without delay, which addresses this wave of anti-social behaviour and violence towards bus workers because as each day passes drivers are being put at risk.”
Transport Scotland said it is Police Scotland, local authorities and other local agencies which are responsible for tackling anti-social behaviour at a local level.
It also said that it was aware of incidents of anti-social behaviour in recent months which have been linked to the introduction of the free bus travel scheme for young people.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We have the greatest sympathy for bus drivers who are at the sharp end of antisocial behaviour from a small minority of bus passengers.
“Everyone should be able to go to their work without fear of abuse. That’s why the Cabinet Secretary for Transport met Unite representatives last month to discuss the safety of bus drivers and confirmed that she is committed to ensuring a full range of options are available to support the police, local authorities and bus operators to tackle this issue.
“The vast majority of passengers travelling by bus behave appropriately, including people of all ages using their free bus entitlement to travel. None of this would be possible without bus drivers keeping communities connected.
“However, there is a minority of people, of all ages, who abuse their entitlement, including to commit offences, and which can result in serious harm to bus employees and passengers. That is simply not acceptable.
“Bus operators can already restrict access to their services in line with their own conditions of carriage and we are working with operators, unions and other stakeholders, to develop further sanctions and preventative measures.
“This includes development of a new behaviour code for passengers and a process for temporary suspension of concessionary travel cards.”
