Radios go down with no security back up for drivers, passengers

Last Monday night the radio service providing the only way for bus drivers to alert police and security to any safety issues on their bus went down at 10 pm and did not come back online until early the following morning.

There was no contingency plan put in place by STA to deal with this serious safety issue. Following the brutal assault of two bus drivers in the past two weeks, this is simply not good enough.

Drivers are coming under increasing danger of assault on the job and what we need to be seeing is more security measures put in place to support them, not instances where their only line to call for help can go down without any notice.

The RTBU’s Bus and Tram Division has written to the Transport Minister to request increased security, particularly at night, to ensure the safety of drivers and passengers but so far there has been no response.

But the union will not let this issue be ignored. We will continue to demand better workplace safety for our drivers. Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure at work and we won’t allow drivers to be an exception.