Laois views sought on anti-social behaviour on trains, buses and trams

Public transport workers want the views of the thousands of Laois people who use public transport every about anti-social problems they have to put up with on their journeys.

The appeal to commuters in Laois and other counties is part of an online public survey launched by the SIPTU Respect Transport Workers campaign at the annual Dublin trade union May Day march.

Besides the many occasional public transport users in Laois, thousands depend on buses and trains to get to work in Dublin, Limerick and other counties. Train stations in Portlaoise, Portarlington and Ballybrophy are among the busiest serving both inter-city and commuter trains.

SIPTU wants to know if the public have experienced problems and the type such as verbal, sexual, racial abuse and violence. The union also wants to know what people in Laois and other counties want done about it.

SIPTU Sector Organiser is John Murphy outlined the campaign in a statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

“The SIPTU Respect Transport Workers campaign want to hear from passengers concerning their experiences travelling on the public transport network concerning anti-social behaviour and abuse. The survey is just six simple questions and should take people less than a minute to complete.”

“The SIPTU Respect Transport Workers campaign has been very successful in highly the worsening epidemic of anti-social behaviour and abuse that our members employed on the public transport network face on a daily basis. It has also secured a commitment in the Programme for Government concerning the establishment of a dedicated transport policing service.

“However, as of today nothing concrete has changed for our members employed on the public transport network with many continuing to be subjected to anti-social behaviour and abuse on a daily basis,” he said. MORE BELOW PICTURE

SIPTU National Executive Council member and Dublin Bus worker, Stephen Millane, said staff have told their union about the issues faced. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Pic: Portlaoise Train Station

“Last year we surveyed our members working on the public transport network. We knew we had a problem with anti-social behaviour and abuse but the extent of it which was revealed in the results of our survey were, to put it mildly, shocking.

“This year we will be surveying our members again. However, we have also decided to expand our campaign to finding out what is the travelling public’s experience and what are their favoured solutions to make our public transport network a safer and more welcoming environment,” he said.

The new survey was launched at the Dublin Council of Trade Unions annual May Day march with the SIPTU Respect Transport Workers campaign being represented by members who travelled on an open top Dublin Bus.

To take the survey visit www.siptu.ie/RTWpublicsurvey

Gardaí have carried out patrols and arrests on trains in Laois and other counties but the Fianna Fáil / Fine Gael / Independent programme for Government commitment to establish a new transport police service with powers of arrest and under the control of the National Transport Authority