ON THE BUSES

Mark Bydder

Wa Bus Drivers Need Increased Safety And Security On Their Bus Network

Numerous petitions have been signed & Government is close to signing off on a Taskforce. But we will keep fighting for safer buses until we win safer buses.

This is no new thing. Bus drivers have been calling for better safety and security on their buses since Adam was a boy. Sometimes it feels like no matter what we do, the root of the problem when it comes to anti-social behaviour is only getting worse.

And bus drivers are in the crossfire when it comes to attacks in the place of work.

Footage emerged of an incident on Monday 18 October where a member of the public was assaulted on a Transperth bus by a group of teenagers while school aged children can be heard screaming, including the child of the passenger being assaulted.

Another violent incident occurred on a bus from Perth to Fremantle during the afterwork rush on Melbourne Cup Day, where several passengers were injured including a mother who claimed to have suffered from cuts to her face and black eyes.

These incidents are only the tip of the iceberg, and despite how dreadful they are, are only the ones that get reported by mainstream media. Our bus drivers are subject to assaults and breaking up alcohol fuelled violence on their buses on a daily, reoccurring basis. The only difference when it comes to these incidents is that somebody recorded it. This is why we’re calling upon the WA State Government to take immediate action and invest in the bus industry to improve the safety and security of bus drivers and the travelling public.

The Transport Workers’ Union and its members want to see the WA State Government to implement a taskforce that consists of the TWU, TWU Delegates, the Transport Minister, the Minister for Police and the PTA to address this ever-growing issue.

“We are calling for an immediate change to the levels of power PTA security have & increased security presence, not just from 1PM”

We are calling for an immediate change to the levels of power PTA security have and for security presence to be increased ensuring availability all day, not just from 1pm, for both the safety of our members and the travelling public.

A petition has been circulated to bus drivers across the network, receiving an overwhelming response from members and non-members.

And we’ve written to Transport Minister Rita Saffioti with some indication the government is prepared to hear the concerns of bus drivers.

It’s probably not going to solve the issue of anti-social behaviour, but increasing the presence of security guards as a deterrent, having protections for bus drivers and pouring resources into changing the way these issues are handled currently, will increase the safety of our bus drivers and may save a life.