Ryan FowlerA recent survey by Unite, the UK’s leading union, reveals that a staggering 82% of bus drivers faced abuse last year, with the same percentage reporting negative impacts on their mental well-being. The survey highlighted a concerning trend, with over half of the drivers not reporting these incidents to their employers due to dissatisfaction with the expected response.
This alarming data follows a fatal assault on a bus driver in Scotland last month, prompting Unite to demand stronger legal protections for bus drivers. The union is advocating for legislation that would make it a specific offence to assault, threaten, or abuse transport staff at work.
Unite General Secretary, Sharon Graham, emphasized the severity of the issue: “No one should feel unsafe at work. Our research highlights that it is all too common for bus drivers to be subject to daily abuse. This is completely unacceptable and Unite is holding bus operators to account where they fail to protect workers.”
Additionally, many drivers reported an increase in robberies, with over half feeling unsafe, especially during late-night shifts or in remote locations. An anonymous Stagecoach bus driver from Yorkshire shared his concerns: “I am extremely worried as I feel myself or colleagues will be seriously physically attacked whilst at work. The risk to us all regarding carrying large amounts of cash whilst on duty, and when walking late at night back to the depot, places us at extreme risk.”
Bobby Morton, national officer, stressed the need for a change in how bus operators handle these risks: “The endemic nature of bus driver abuse must end, bus operators must start taking their responsibilities to worker safety seriously. Where operators fail to do this Unite will step in to protect our members.”
Unite is pressing for concrete legislative changes to ensure statutory protection for transport workers, aiming to safeguard them against both verbal and physical threats.
