Metro Tasmania: Transit officers back on buses to address anti-social behaviour

Tasmania’s transport minister says we are all “sick and tired of the thuggery” disrupting Metro’s public transport system, set to announce a return of transit officers as the first step in a crackdown. LATEST >

Rosny bus mall, Metro bus and Tasmania Police. Picture: Chris Kidd

TRANSIT officers will be placed on Metro buses to tackle aggressive and anti-social behaviour, Transport Minister Michael Ferguson says.

Passengers and bus drivers have called for the reintroduction of dedicated transit officers after an increase of anti-social behaviour on Hobart’s bus network.

Mr Ferguson will announce the use of transit officers on public transport services on Tuesday.

“The safety of the Tasmanian community is paramount and the Rockliff Liberal Government is taking action to ensure our public transport system is as safe as possible, for users and staff,” he said.

“Although the vast of majority of trips on our buses are incident-free, we are all sick and tired of the thuggery that has been occurring on and around buses.

“Our bus drivers and passengers deserve better, and we will progress an increased and visible presence of transit officers on buses who can respond to incidents when they occur, deter would-be offenders and fare evasion, direct passengers to leave if necessary and issue infringement notices.

The State Government will reintroduce transit officers on Metro buses. Picture: Linda Higginson

“The transit officers will be equipped with body-worn cameras which can be valuable as a deterrence, as well as de-escalating incidents and evidence-gathering.”

Metro Tasmania is understood to be considering additional measures to improve safety for drivers, including the installation of protective screens.

The reliability of the bus network has been adversely impacted by driver absences, in part caused by incidence of violence.

Mr Ferguson convened a Safe Public Transport Working Group to find ways to address the problem.

“We will also work with Tasmania Police and State Growth to investigate a new mechanism for easy reporting, allowing commuters to report non-urgent incidents of anti-social behaviour,” he said.

“This gives passengers the ability to take action in a safe way if they experience or witness anti-social behaviour on and around public transport, while giving us a greater understanding of ‘hot spots’ to assist in targeting resources.

“These actions to target anti-social behaviour on public transport will bring comfort to our drivers and the majority of our passengers who enjoy using public transport.”

Mr Ferguson said the trial would initially take place in the state’s south before being assessed as part of a more detailed plan.