'Urination, defecation, drugs and alcohol': Calls for transport police to be deployed on Cork buses as drivers outline abuse and anti-social behaviour

Cork bus drivers have been spat at and had food thrown at them, and verbal assault is “a daily occurrence”, representatives have claimed.

Andrew Quigley, a Siptu representative for Bus Éireann drivers in Cork, told The Echo that while Dublin Bus had recently added security, “antisocial behaviour is not a Dublin-centric issue; it’s everywhere”.

He referred to two alleged incidents in Cork: One where an air rifle was discharged and another where a driver “had two individuals who urinated on the upper deck, and he got covered in urine”.

“Drivers have had food and drink thrown at them, been subject to verbal abuse, physical altercations with passengers often unfit to travel through drink and drugs, or just not willing to pay fares.”

Mr Quigley said: “When issues like this happen, buses are pulled, so it’s affecting normal passengers who want to travel home, too. When buses don’t turn up, it can be for numerous reasons, but a percentage of that is antisocial behaviour. We’re hoping parties will make the need for a transport police part of their manifesto. Other countries have this.”

“There’s a lot being spent to get people to use public transport, but people will only use it when they feel safe.”

Driver Seán Buttimer told The Echo: “Since I started in Bus Éireann, I have experienced verbal assaults (shouting, roaring, cursing, threats made against me, verbal abuse, etc) and physical assaults (being spat at, having my door screen punched, rocks being thrown through my bus windows).

“Verbal assaults would be an almost daily occurrence for me ... I have my own personal policy on it — once a line is crossed then I will ‘correct’ the passenger verbally and in a calm, polite, but firm manner.

“Most times this ‘correction’ will work, but I do have the odd occasion where the passenger has to leave the bus.

“The worst thing I have seen on a bus has been human excrement,” he said.

“Basically, [it was] a huge human turd on the floor of the bus. Urine on seats is a problem, and you get the odd case of vomiting as well.

“Incidents can happen any time of the day, on any day of the week. I have definitely smelled cannabis being smoked by passengers in or around bus stops, and I have never had any issues or problems with those passengers.

“Alcohol is a different matter. I have had verbal threats from drunks too many times to list.”

A former bus driver, who wished to remain anonymous, added: “I’ve been confronted, threatened, repeatedly verbally abused ... and had the driver’s cab screen punched as the public tried to assault me. Many buses in service still have no security screen at the driver’s cab, leaving us constantly vulnerable to attacks.”

Siptu has launched a costed proposal for a new National Public Transport Police, a nationwide network of “authorised officers” — similar to the currently existing Airport Police service.

It would also include Public Transport Assistance Units of specifically trained social care intervention officers to deal with underlying issues, such as substance abuse and homelessness, rather than within a purely legal framework.

Bus Éireann was contacted for comment.