Scores of bus drivers across Tayside and Fife say they don’t feel safe at work.
Most bus drivers across the region also believe abuse “is just part of the job” according to a survey by trade union Unite.
Unite found that 99% of drivers supported stronger laws to protect them after surveying 1,100 workers based at depots across Scotland including Dundee, Glenrothes, Methil and Dunfermline.
The drivers were employed by companies including Stagecoach East Scotland and Xplore Dundee.
Just over half of all respondents said they did not feel safe at work.
Meanwhile, 84% said the number of instances of abuse at work had increased in the previous year.
The findings come just weeks after Xplore Dundee withdrew services in the city due to anti-social behaviour.
‘I’ve been threatened with rape’
One anonymous survey respondent said: “The abuse is terrible.
“I have been spat at three times by teenagers in the last 12 months, threats of harming me and saying they know where I live so threats to my home and family.
“There’s no point even reporting it as there’s nothing done about these individuals.
“They are just allowed to travel, say and do what they want”
Another added: “Being a female driver, I find I get more abuse given than my male counterparts.
“I’ve been threatened with being stabbed multiple times and on one occasion threatened with rape.
“I’m at the stage now where if there’s a large group of teens waiting at a bus stop, I won’t stop because I know it’s just going to be trouble from the get-go.”
Unite is demanding that its ‘Road Map to Safety’ be implemented to discourage anti-social and violent behaviour on buses.
Bus drivers will ‘no longer tolerate abuse’
This includes increasing the presence of police officers or community wardens on buses and more CCTV coverage on buses and at bus stations.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Urgent measures must be taken to address the staggering level of abuse being suffered by bus drivers.
“In no way is this acceptable. Unite members will no longer tolerate abuse.
“The Scottish Government has to step up and step in to ensure our members feel safe at work.
“A do-nothing response is not an option.”
Colin Napier, group service delivery director at McGill’s Buses – which owns Xplore Dundee – said abuse and attacks on drivers are “reprehensible”.
He added: “This is an issue that we, as a company, have been working to stop for many years.
“As we have said on many occasions, society would not accept such incidents if they took place in cafés or shops.”
McGills encourages all staff and customers to report incidents to them.
Xplore Dundee ‘will not hesitate’ to withdraw services
Colin added: “We are actively liaising with the police, local councillors, and MSPs to engage in and support appropriate preventative measures to apprehend and prosecute those responsible.
“As has been seen recently, we have withdrawn services when necessary to protect staff and passengers, and we will not hesitate to do so again.
“We are also working hard to increase levels of security at bus stops by enhancing CCTV and cab safety to protect drivers while in their vehicles.”
He also said he would like to see greater resources dedicated to preventing these incidents from occurring, particularly in known trouble hotspots.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The cabinet secretary for transport met Unite representatives last month to discuss the safety of bus drivers and confirmed that she is committed to ensuring a full range of options are available to support the police, local authorities and bus operators to tackle this issue.
“There is a minority of people, of all ages, who abuse their entitlement, including to commit offences, and which can result in serious harm to bus employees and passengers.
“That is simply not acceptable.”
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