In the wake of the death of a bus driver in Elgin, Moray, following an assault in February, a Scottish Minister has backed proposals which could mean that those responsible for repeated acts of anti-social behaviour on buses could have their free bus passes withdrawn. Scottish Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the Government is exploring the legal means for suspending the concessionary under-22 bus passes.
The Scottish Parliament debated a motion from MSP Claire Baker on tackling the abuse of bus drivers, which said that the Parliament is ‘deeply grieved’ by the death of driver Keith Rollinson in Elgin. The MSP said violence against drivers is never acceptable, referring to a survey from trade union Unite which recently found 84% of Scottish bus drivers have experienced more abuse at work over the last year.
The Scottish Transport Secretary said the Government would support the motion, and described the results of the Unite survey as ‘concerning.’ She said: “While much of the focus is on young people, I must stress that it is a very small minority who misuse the young persons’ free bus travel scheme.
We are developing a behaviour code with the intention it will cover all concessionary bus passengers.
“We are examining the legal means to suspend concessionary passes for persistent anti-social behaviour of anyone of any age, as announced last December.”
She added that concessionary pass users may have to sign a code of conduct in order to receive their pass.
