Jessica O'ConnorBus drivers across the UK are preparing for a rise in dangerous firework-related incidents over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period, following warnings from Unite that attacks on vehicles and staff typically increase at this time of year.
Reports of fireworks being thrown at or into buses, and other forms of anti-social behaviour such as road blockages and vandalism, have surged in previous years during late October and early November.
The incidents pose significant risks to both passengers and transport staff, with drivers often caught in the middle of public disorder.
Unite, which represents many of the country’s bus workers, has urged police forces to take such incidents seriously and ensure that those responsible face prosecution.
The union has also called on bus companies to make it easier for staff to report attacks and to offer full support to any driver affected.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Bus drivers in nearly every town and city across the country dread Halloween and Bonfire Night.
“They already face incredibly high rates of abuse and assault. But this period brings additional stress as dangerous incidents of explosive fireworks being thrown at and onto buses filled with passengers regularly occur.”
She added: “The police and employers must do everything in their power to keep bus workers and passengers safe and ensure those carrying out such attacks are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
