Show respect

Passengers on public transport need to examine their own behaviour towards drivers

The Bulletin has written extensively over the years about the issues surrounding our bus drivers and their safety while on the job. In fact, driver safety has become a major factor in the battle to recruit enough people behind the wheels of the Gold Coast bus network.

With every shocking incident involving drivers and the poor behaviour of passengers, the recruitment challenge becomes a little more difficult.

Case in point, the story this week out of court about a woman who punched and spat on a Gold Coast bus driver before turning on an 85year-old passenger who tried to intervene.

The attacker, who pleaded guilty to the incident, was removed from the bus by the driver and other bystanders.

Sadly this is not the first such shocking incident and probably won’t be the last here on the Gold Coast.

And it is entirely unacceptable. In this instance, with the help of others, it seems the driver was able to deal with the attacker.

But that will not always be the case. There is a genuine risk involved when a passenger gets out of hand.

There has been constant back and forth over the years between the state government, bus companies and union officials about what measures can be put in place to better deal with potential violence and abuse from passengers.

Measures to ensure that drivers remain safe on the job.

But ultimately it is on passengers using these services to remember that very fact – it is a job.

And these drivers are just doing their job.

Day in, day out, they show up for work ready to keep the city’s transport network moving.

It is a service provided to the community and a rather vital one at that.

How would you feel if someone showed up and spat on you or abused you in your place of work?

So as much as the conversation around safety measures remains important, the conversation around our behaviour as passengers remains just as important.

Show our bus drivers the respect they deserve.