The Liverpool Echo has reported that Arriva Merseyside said it suffered more than £20,000 damage to its buses and was forced to suspend large numbers of services because of damage and violence linked to the so-called Mischief Night (30 October), among the widespread vandalism and violence which happened around the region, with emergency services coming under attack.
Howard Farrall, Area Managing Director of Arriva Merseyside, said: “Last night Arriva experienced extreme incidents of anti-social behaviour across Merseyside, resulting in several services being taken out of service. Over 25 vehicles were damaged and 18 windows were smashed in a four-hour period.
“We took the difficult decision to divert services across parts of Merseyside to ensure our customers and drivers safety. Services across the regions were diverted and from 2100hrs all northern services from the Bootle Depot were suspended, and only returned to service for their last journey.”
He continued: “Withdrawing services on such a scale is not something we do lightly and has resulted in several thousands in lost revenue, adding to the £20k+ damage to our buses and windows, which ultimately means less money we are able to invest into services for our customers.”
