PASSENGER’S have been left in fear over lack of supervision on Manchester’s Metrolink, saying: “it is not a nice experience getting on a tram”, due to the high levels of anti-social behaviour (ASB).
Stats provided by the Transport for Greater Manchester show that from April to July, there has been over 400 reported incidents of abuse and violence on the tram, averaging around three cases of anti-social behaviour per day.
Reports of these behaviours include racism, spitting and vicious assaults against tram drivers, staff and passengers.
Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TFGM) Metrolink Director, Peter Cushing, said: “The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and staff is our number one priority.
“The vast majority of our 35 million journeys a year are incident free but when something does happen, we will do everything we can to ensure those responsible are held to account.”
TFGM have been working with partners along the line in response to incidents of ASB, including the local council; youth engagement teams; and neighbourhood police, as well as running educational initiatives and awareness campaigns to improve this societal issue.
Although in the past year the statistics of reported abusive and violent acts has decreased on the Metrolink, it is still proving to be a significant issue for the general public.
The prevalent fear of tram users shows how this issue may be affecting the amount of people choosing to travel on the metrolink.
One intimidated passenger claimed: “it’s [ASB on trams] getting out of hand – especially on weekends.”
However, despite the high number of offences, TFGM reassure customers that all tram stops are equipped with CCTV and customer help points.
Director, Peter Cushing added: “We will continue to work very closely with the operator and our partners to ensure Metrolink remains a safe and enjoyable way to travel.”
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