Article: Bus complaints increasing as passengers driven mad

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Bus complaints increasing as passengers driven mad

Bus complaints increasing as passengers driven mad
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Ursula Heger

August 26, 2009 12:00am

A BUS driver drove so erratically that a passenger broke a hip, while another left a child behind at a station, according to complaints lodged in southeast Queensland.

Data received under Right to Information laws showed more than 6580 complaints were made against TransLink bus drivers last year.

More than 2550 complaints were about drivers ignoring passengers at bus stops, while a further 1495 related to rude or aggressive behaviour.

Another 1391 referred to drivers' competence and there were 26 complaints about smoking on the job.

Individual complaints against drivers included one in which a driver stopped a bus on a level crossing at Salisbury while the flashing warning lights were activated, and another lodged in which the driver was accused of attempting to push cyclists off the road.

Another included details of an incident in which a child was left at the Mater Hill bus station because their card had expired ? in breach of TransLink's "no child left behind" policy.

A compensation request was also filed with TransLink in July last year after a commuter claimed a bus driver drove so badly it resulted in a broken hip.

This comes after 45 Brisbane City Council workers were disciplined for misconduct last year, including a driver who bruised a child's back when he "thumped" him and dragged him along the floor of the bus for having his head out the window.

Another driver was committed to stand trial on serious assault charges after he allegedly pushed a man, 79, out of a bus in Chermside last September.

Commuter advocacy group Rail Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said drivers were experiencing many stressful situations every day, which caused some to lash out at commuters.

"There are problems with services that get delayed, or cancelled, and it is very difficult for bus drivers who get stuck in congestion," he said.

"There are multiple layers of stress on these people. They will have one incident upon another and this increases the stress on the driver to the point where they might crack."

A TransLink spokesman defended driver behaviour, saying the "overwhelming majority" did a fantastic job serving commuters.

"TransLink expects its 18 service delivery partners and their drivers to comply with all legal and compliance standards and to uphold professional conduct at all times," he said.

Comments were measured against the number of trips taken.

"Brisbane Transport's current rate of comment is about one per 10,000 trips.

"There were more than 73 million trips taken on Brisbane Transport services last financial year."

Most complaints were made in the first half of this year, with March recorded as the worst month.