Veteran Bus Driver Doubts £100 Antisocial Behaviour Fines
After 41 years driving buses, Pete Gibson says he has seen just about everything: fights, drug use, abuse and a knife pulled on him. So when the government announced plans to fine passengers up to £100 for antisocial behaviour on buses in England, he was sceptical.
The measures target loud music, littering, vaping and threatening behaviour on public transport. Gibson, whose routes now mainly take him around north Staffordshire, doubts they will change much without real enforcement. "It's something that cannot be policed," he said. He called the proposals "a nothing law" and asked how anyone would get to an incident when needed. "It's just an unnecessary rule that is going to be broken every single day with nobody to back it up," he said.
Isolated at the wheel
Gibson said one of the biggest problems for drivers is feeling alone when things turn difficult. "You're just left to it on your own and it's you against a bus full of people," he said. Beyond phones playing music, he said, he sees fighting, people falling out and people refusing to move for wheelchairs and buggies. "No matter how big you think you are or how good you are, you're always vulnerable," he said.
The government has said the new measures are meant to improve journeys for passengers, and that drivers will not be responsible for enforcement. Authorised officers and police would carry it out. Gibson questioned whether police forces would be able to respond to many incidents.
Police and passengers
Supt David Barrow, Staffordshire Police's lead for antisocial behaviour, said the force welcomed the measures and recognised the effect such behaviour can have on passengers. Officers would use an "engage, explain and enforce" approach and keep working with transport operators and local authorities. "Where incidents involve crime, threats or a risk to safety, we will continue to respond appropriately and target recurring problems using information reported by passengers, drivers and operators," he said.
Passenger Kathy Williams, heading home from shopping in Stoke-on-Trent, thought the threat of a fine could make some people think twice. She has not noticed the problem as much on buses as on trains, she said. "Just that the prime minister has brought it up, it might be enough to deter people from that sort of behaviour."
Gibson has stayed in the job for reasons beyond the difficulties. "You're out and about, you meet people and it's not being stuck in one place all the time," he said. Drivers tend to do the same runs and get to know regular passengers. "We are not just the faceless guy behind the wheel."
Source: BBC News