The “pervasive level of thuggery and criminality” on public transport has long surpassed “a critical point”, the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has told the Government.
In a letter written to the three Coalition leaders this week, the union has called for a national taskforce on antisocial behaviour on public transport to be established.
“It is imperative that concrete steps are taken to establish a system that effectively addresses the problem through enhanced policing and protection of our public transport system,” said NBRU general secretary Dermot O’Leary.
Figures compiled by the NBRU show there were more than 200 serious incidents reported on Dublin Bus services so far this year, such as stones and objects thrown at buses, physical and verbal abuse towards drivers, including being spat at, as well as “hate incidents”.
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There were 287 reports of antisocial behaviour on Bus Éireann services in the second half of 2023 and the first half of this year.
The letter to Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Transport comes as a bus driver, aged in her 30s, was shot in the face with an air gun while working on a route in Limerick last week.
Gardaí are investigating the attack while it is understood the driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precaution.
“This incident, involving an air gun attack on a Bus Éireann driver, is unfortunately not an isolated case of antisocial behaviour on our public transport system,” said Mr O’Leary.
[ Limerick city bus route disrupted by anti-social behaviourOpens in new window ]
“Recently, a driver in the northeast of the country had his career ended due to a violent attack.”
In the letter, the NBRU repeated its call for a dedicated Garda public transport division to tackle the “growing problem” of antisocial behaviour. The union also proposed the formation of a national taskforce on antisocial behaviour on public transport, made up of relevant stakeholders and granted a specific mandate within a defined time frame to formulate recommendations for the Government’s consideration.
Dublin Bus said it has a number of measures in place to protect customers and employees including 14 CCTV cameras, while each vehicle is also equipped with a radio that facilitates immediate contact to its central control centre.
“Dublin Bus has a close working relationship with An Garda Síochána who provide assistance when required and they also recently conducted a day of action across all routes to aid the prevention and detection of antisocial behaviour on our services,” a spokeswoman for the company said.
Bus Éireann said overall incidents of antisocial behaviour remain low “given the national scale of our services”, but said it has seen an increase in reported incidents this year.
It said all vehicles are fitted with internal and external CCTV cameras, while the company is examining, in conjunction with the National Transport Authority (NTA), further on-bus CCTV functionality “to deter misbehaviour and improve incident response”.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has previously ruled out setting up a dedicated public transport policing unit.
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