Meeting of the Parliament 27 November 2024
I draw attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests and my membership of Unite the union.
I send our deepest condolences to the family of Keith Rollinson. Everyone should be safe and respected at their place of work, and no one should have to endure abuse and violence in the workplace. I want to be clear that violence is never acceptable. It is a criminal matter and it should always be treated as such.
There was public shock at the attack on Keith Rollinson, and it has been sobering to read the survey of bus drivers from Unite the union, which highlights that violence, abuse and sexual harassment are not isolated incidents on buses but are frequent occurrences that are not being taken seriously.
Bus drivers are facing unacceptable health and safety risks, including verbal and physical assault, which are carried out by a minority of people, of all ages, travelling on buses. However, evidence suggests that that has been exacerbated by the extension of the concessionary travel scheme to people under the age of 22.
I emphasise that we support the young person’s bus pass and recognise the significant benefits that it is delivering. It is enabling young people to access education and employment, encouraging a modal shift in transport and leading to investment in bus services. The behaviour of a minority of passengers should not impact on the success of the scheme, but we must not be complacent or ignore the impact of antisocial behaviour on our bus drivers.
Unite the union has conducted a survey of its members. The figures are sobering, revealing historically high levels of abuse and major concerns about safety on public transport. Of the respondents, 84 per cent said that abuse at work had increased in the past 12 months. Of those experiencing abuse, 83 per cent reported verbal abuse and 16 per cent reported physical abuse. The low level of reporting is worrying: 79 per cent of the abuse was not reported to the police, while almost half did not report it to their employers. Of those who did, the majority were dissatisfied with the employer response. The lack of reporting devalues the abuse that is taking place. I thank Unite for undertaking the survey to show the extent of the problem. Finally, 51 per cent of bus drivers said that they do not feel safe at work, and 85 per cent said that they believe that it is now just part of the job. Abuse at work should never be just part of the job, and we must bring an end to this culture.
This is not the first debate on abuse of bus drivers. Almost a year ago, Graham Simpson led a members’ business debate on antisocial behaviour on buses, which came at the publication point of the evaluation report on the young person’s bus pass. Examples of aggression, intimidation and physical assault were highlighted in the chamber. When the case of an assault against a teenager was raised in the chamber in 2022, the then Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans, Keith Brown, said:
“I will raise the issue with those who are responsible for the bus pass scheme, to gather views on whether the option of withdrawing bus passes ... might present a solution.”—[Official Report, 26 October 2022; c 19-20.]
I wrote to the Government in March, following bus drivers in my region highlighting to me the conditions in which they were working. The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Jim Fairlie, said:
“Transport Scotland is continuing to look at what may be possible and appropriate in terms of providing a deterrent or sanction”.
I then wrote to Transport Scotland, which, in June, repeated that position.
This week, Transport Scotland has gone further in response to our calls for stronger action, saying:
“We are working ... to develop further sanctions”
including
“a process for temporary suspension of concessionary travel cards.”
We must see action now. Scottish Labour is clear that there have to be consequences for persistent abusive behaviour towards bus drivers and passengers. Aggressive and intimidating behaviour and vandalism are leading to the cancellation of bus services, which impacts on other passengers and increases costs to operators as buses are taken off service for repairs, and it negatively impacts on passenger numbers, because people—including young people, who are often the victims of assault and bullying connected to bus travel—choose not to travel by bus.
I remind the Scottish Government that we have seen little progress since the publication of a report that it commissioned into the safety of women and girls on public transport. If those recommendations were introduced, they would go some way towards addressing antisocial behaviour.