Suzy, Drinker Of Coffee

Thugs On The Buses

Totally different from yesterday's piece...

Thugs On The Buses

YOUTH behaviour on buses between Buckhurst Hill and Loughton has become so bad that many passengers are afraid to travel. Police are now searching for a solution which could see troublemakers banned.

Debden resident Carole Garwood, 62, said: "I won't travel on the buses any more. The shouting and swearing and fighting it's so threatening. It's out of control. In the last few years it's become unbelievable." Another resident, who did not want to be named, said: "I have to travel on the buses to work. Groups of teenagers, 20 or 30 of them, get on to the bus together, they stand in the aisles and the doorways blocking the exits. "If you ask them to move they swear at you. It's really frightening for the older people. I wouldn't use the buses if I didn't have to."

Havey Digpal, performance manager for Docklands Buses which operates the 167 bus from Ilford to Loughton, said the problem had escalated since teenagers aged 14 to 16 were granted free travel by Transport for London. He said: "The buses have become a playground for them." Last year the company put private security guards on the route, which Mr Digpal said was one of its most troubled. But he said that while the problems had abated, the cost of financing the experiment had proved too high to continue.

Bus drivers cannot forcibly eject young troublemakers from buses, as it goes against safety guidelines to leave minors unattended at the side of the road. Now Docklands Buses and Arriva London, which runs the equally troubled route 20 from Harlow to Loughton, are working with Transport for London and Essex Police to find a solution.

An Essex police spokesman said, "We're having a meeting with Transport for London next week to look at ways of banning them, or at least, for those causing trouble, to withdraw their right to free travel. The Met Police already has a similar policy and we're looking to incorporate that."

Mrs Garwood said: "Someone needs to stand up to them."

Following the allowance of free bus travel for all children and most young people on London's buses - and that does include cross-boundary routes like the 167, a lot of people had been waiting for something like this to happen. It may not be isolated, but it's certainly the most high profile case so far. Docklands Buses could not continue to afford to pay the security guards - presumably because the contractor, Transport for London (who pay for the bus to run) would not shell out for two members of staff on the bus - especially so short after the "end" of the Routemasters situation at the end of last year. It is interesting that this is at a time when the Mayor is campaigning for the privatised rail companies to pay for increased security "out of their profits" (quote)...

... on a related issue, Travel West Midlands have been offered (this was in last Sunday's Brum Sunday Mercury) a free four week trial of a Gurkha regiment, following a successful trial in Ikea's car park in Nottingham. Suki Ghuma, managing director of the security firm stated "... and if having a guard on board improves the safety of passengers, we will roll it out as a specialist service to all UK bus companies". All UK bus companies would presumably include London AND Essex, so perhaps this could be a potential solution for the circumstances... especially if a four-week trial could be offered here too...

posted by Suzy Scott @ 23:40