Any attack on bus drivers must be condemned

The revelation by bus drivers that they have been spat on, abused and threatened with violence is alarming and disturbing. Any attack on them should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. They do not deserve it because passengers depend on them to take them from one destination to another, safe and sound. Nasese Bus Company director Jack Kumar said it started after the e-Transport cards were introduced. “When passengers don’t have money in their cards or when drivers ask them to tap again, or when passengers don’t want to buy the $2 cards. Some passengers have become violent,” he said.

He said this had prompted them to install cameras inside their buses to capture such incidents.

Bus companies must lodge their complaints immediately after the incidents with Police. Relevant footage should also be handed over to the Police. Perpetrators should be apprehended and brought to justice as soon as possible to act as a deterrent to would-be offenders. Our drivers need to be protected from any form of attack. An attack on them is also an attack on passengers.

It’s a matter of grave concern that in most cases, school children are implicated. If we do not act now to stop this menace, the criminal acts could spread to affect passengers. Lack of security in buses also puts passengers’ safety in jeopardy. Passengers could be targets of aggravated robbery. Bus companies can hire security officers, one for each bus on routes that are considered dangerous.

The security officers provide that presence and visibility that are required to make would-be offenders think twice. The message should go out loud and clear that there is zero tolerance on any attack against bus drivers.