Translink launches etiquette classes in Gold Coast schools teaching tram manners
A new blitz on the Gold Coast is teaching school kids how to mind their manners.
Gold Coast
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TRANSLINK is conducting an etiquette blitz at Gold Coast schools to teach children manners on buses.
Assaults on drivers and fare evasion have skyrocketed in recent years, much of it fuelled by “anti-social behaviour among school-aged children”.
Translink officials were on the Gold Coast yesterday talking to students as part of a renewed push for their Step Up “Respect the Ride” program.
It comes after a Youth Fare Evasion Roundtable involving bus drivers, police, educators and transport groups in April.
“There is a general trend towards assaults and fare evasion this year on the year before,” Surfside Buslines general manager Martin Hall said.
“We have seen a general increase in anti-social behaviour among school-aged children.”
Mr Hall would not go into the specific number of assaults locally.
“Even one assault is too many, were just want there to be mutual respect.”
The number of assaults on Surfside bus drivers on the Coast tripled in a year. In 2017-18, 64 drivers were abused. Eleven of them had objects thrown at them. In 2016-17, 19 drivers were attacked. SUBSCRIPTION OFFER: GET FULL DIGITAL ACCESS + JABRA WIRELESS HEADPHONES
In March, the Bulletin reported that almost 4000 Gold Coast students were evading bus fares each school day, costing taxpayers half a million dollars more annually than it did just three years ago.
TransLink said the “fare evade” button on Surfside school bus runs was hit 763,944 times in 2017-18, triple the 238,195 hits just two years earlier.
A veteran bus driver who wished to remain anonymous has kept a log of attacks.
He described an incident in Coomera this month in which a female driver was verbally and physically abused and had beer poured over her.
“Us drivers are afraid for their lives and it doesn’t seem to matter to anyone,” he said.
“We deliver an important service on your behalf, at least show some compassion and protection.
“Look carefully at the trouble we’re confronted with ... this is no joke.”
A report from a female bus driver was raised in parliament last week. She counted 130 fare evasions in a five-hour shift.
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Another Coast driver spoke of four youths aged 12-13 refusing to pay and telling him there was nothing he could do about it as they would dob him in.
They asked to be dropped at a shopping centre instead of school.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the presentation at a Gold Coast school yesterday(Wednesday) followed “appalling social media videos shared of teenage girls abusing passengers and a bus driver at Palm Beach”.
“Everyone has a right to catch public transport without being subjected to this kind of behaviour,” Mr Bailey said.
“About 30 million school trips will be taken on public transport this year, and while most will be incident free there will always be a small element of anti-social behaviour.”
Currumbin MP Jann Stuckey, who has previously the plight of bus drivers and a lack of security, said the TransLink program, originally launched in 2017, was a “pathetic response” to escalating the problem of fare evasion.
“How totally incompetent and irresponsible of government to stretch senior officers where there are only a few in the Gold Coast network.
“We need more SNOs (senior network officer). There are only nine dedicated to the Gold Coast bus network, but this Labor Government will not put more senior network officers on to catch fare evaders.”
“Why would you even create a program not going to wind it out in all schools in Queensland.
“The program is nothing more than words if it is not being actively promoted in all the problem areas.”
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