Youth crime: Gold Coast bus driver speaks out about fare evasion and out-of-control juveniles

Gold Coast bus drivers say passengers have been stabbed, had seats set on fire, seen aerosols sniffed and are threatened to be bashed if they refuse to let on youths.

GOLD Coast bus drivers say passengers have been stabbed, seats set on fire, aerosols sniffed and they are threatened to be bashed if they refuse to let on youths.

Drivers are contacting the Bulletin fed up with the attitude of fare-evading young thugs causing mayhem on public transport.

They say they are being assaulted and “laughed at” by teenage grubs and there is nothing they can do about it.

The bus driver said drivers are faced with increasingly dodgy and dangerous behaviour. Picture: Mike Batterham

Worse still, they are angry transports authorities are refusing to take a hard line on the offenders.

“We have had a stabbing, seats set on fire, persons sniffing substances, vandalism, passengers terrified and drivers urgently requesting police and security for their safety,” one driver said.

KNIFE WIELDING ATTACK ON VARSITY LAKES BUS

The Bulletin understands a female bus driver was punched in the face at Coolangatta last month. She suffered concussion and bruising.

“Do parents know where their kids are and what they are doing?” a driver said. “Parents should be responsible for this and made to be so. Drivers have had a gutful of having to put up with fare evaders and their attitudes, and the complaints from other passengers.

In other news:

TOM HANKS DROPS IN ON LOCAL EATERY

CHRIS AND LIAM HEMSWORTH JOIN LOCALS TO HONOUR LIFESAVING LEGEND

‘MILLIONS OWED’ TO KIDNAP ACCUSED

“And let’s be certain here, the paying passengers are the ones we are working for.”

The man, who asked to remain unidentified to protect his job, said drivers were not “child minders, psychologists or a punching bag”.

He believed buses were ­becoming a haven for unruly juveniles.

The city’s top police union representative recently warned rank-and-file officers were frustrated with the “catch and release” of serious youth offenders and close to giving up on making arrests.

The bus driver fears for the safety of passengers.

The Bulletin has reported on a spate of serious juvenile crime in recent months, including the stabbing death of Jack Beasley at Surfers Paradise in December. It is alleged the 17-year-old was murdered during a botched robbery ­involving five teenagers.

Police have also pointed the finger at youths for assaults, car thefts and burglaries.

“I have had three detectives stop my bus and arrest young evaders who were using the free taxi as a means of escaping from their victim, who they had taken goods while armed,” a bus driver said.
Related:

YOUTH CRIME: FOUR TEENS CHARGED BY GOLD COAST POLICE AFTER THEFT

‘POLICE PROACTIVE IN BREAKING YOUTH OFFENDING CYCLE’

GOLD COAST YOUTH CRIME: CHROMING AND DRUG USE IN BROADBEACH

“Many crimes are committed on buses and in reality we are aiding and abetting young persons in their criminal actions by taking them to their destinations, easily and free of charge.”

The driver believes some young thugs feel they have free rein to do what they like.

He said evaders were “making a mockery” of the tragic and widely publicised death of murdered student Daniel Morcombe in 2003.

“While I cannot talk for every company in Queensland, the one I know elected to give a concession to children for safety reasons after the unfortunate death of Daniel Morcombe, so that they would not be left unsafe.

“This has been escalated and been abused and now (youths) are quoting the Daniel Morcombe law or just the law.”

He said his instructions were to “just push the button”, referring to a “fare evade” switch and that “a maximum of five per cent” of youths had an excuse he considered legitimate.

In two years he has had inspectors on his bus only four times.

GOLD COAST BUS DRIVER ATTACKED: LEFT BRUISED AND BEATEN

The driver said a tough stance was needed and drivers should be instructed to stay at a standstill until evaders comply with directions to leave buses. He said if offenders fail to leave “police need to attend quickly”.

“It will cause congestion for a short time but word will quickly get out that (evasion) will no longer be acceptable behaviour,” he said.

Queensland Police have been working with public transport organisations and authorities in attempts to drive down the rate of youth crime.

In a lengthy statement, a TransLink spokeswoman said the State Government “takes fare evasion and the safety of all passengers very seriously”.

“Fare evasion costs the Queensland Government up to $25 million each year and unlawfully takes money away from funding the public transport system,” it read.

“Last year, the Queensland Government held two youth fare evasion roundtables (including the Daniel Morcombe Foundation) to identify solutions to help tackle the challenging social issue of increasing deliberate fare evasion and associated anti-social behaviours by young people.

“In addition to the roundtable, the Queensland Government employed eight new Senior Network Officers (SNOs) in December 2019 and is currently recruiting for up to a further 14 officers, to bring the total number of SNOs to 71.

The officers can “stage regular station lockdowns and patrols, educate public transport users, and issue penalty infringements and warning notices”.

Mention was made of the TransLink Step-up program, which educates schoolchildren about acceptable behaviour on public transport.