Meeting of the Parliament 27 November 2024
During the past fortnight, we have spent a significant amount of time discussing the topic that Claire Baker has brought to the chamber this afternoon—tackling abuse of bus drivers. We support the calls in the Scottish Labour motion. Unite the union has found that an alarming 84 per cent of bus drivers have experienced abuse in the past 12 months and that drivers are frequently beaten, spat upon and threatened by teenagers.
Members might recall that, at First Minister’s question time on 14 November, I asked the First Minister to outline what action the Scottish Government is taking to protect drivers and to clamp down on under-22s who abuse their free bus pass by committing antisocial behaviour. Mr Swinney’s response was helpful in that he confirmed that he would explore the point that I had put to him and determine whether any action could be taken. Only yesterday, the cabinet secretary wrote to me advising of the commitment to addressing that pressing issue, and findings and recommendations are expected by the end of the year. The need for that to be a priority is clear.
Next week, as we have already heard, I, Claire Baker and Mark Ruskell will host a round-table meeting in Parliament about the safety of bus drivers. I am glad to hear that the minister, Mr Fairlie, will also be in attendance. We will discuss the growing level of abuse towards bus drivers and how it can be tackled. A variety of stakeholders will attend, including Unite the union, FirstBus, Young Scot, Police Scotland and the Confederation of Passenger Transport. We have also heard that, on 14 December 2023, my colleague Graeme Simpson held a members’ business debate to discuss reports of antisocial behaviours on buses.
I want to go into some detail about the card curfews and confiscations that the Scottish Conservatives have been calling for.