There should be a member of staff at every train station to tackle anti-social behaviour, the Dublin Commuter Coalition has said.
Earlier this month, Dublin Bus announced it had suspended services through the Bawnogue estate in Clondalkin after dark due to safety concerns.
Speaking to Josh Crosbie for The Pat Kenny Show, Dublin Commuter Coalition chairperson and Green Party candidate Feljin Jose said things are not perfect in the capital but that it “compares quite well” to other cities.
“Talking to people who’ve travelled around the world they say, ‘Oh, I’ve experienced a lot more issues on public transport in, say, Paris, or anywhere in the US than we have done in Dublin’,” he said.
“Having said that, there’s been a real kind of increase in anti-social behaviour on public transport in Dublin in recent years.
“That’s similar to a citywide increase in anti-social behaviour [and] a perception of safety going down.
“It’s not exclusive to public transport, unfortunately, so it’s probably a wider societal and policing issue.”
Inter agency security operation targeting anti social behaviour on public transport at Howth Junction Dart Station on Friday evening involving local Garda Units & Irish Rail personnel. One person arrested by Gardaí for possession of controlled drugs worth €2k (analysis pending). pic.twitter.com/9ZIYXSomyH
— Garda Info (@gardainfo) June 13, 2021
One solution, Mr Jose believes, would be for the Department of Transport to hire more staff to work on the railways.
“Every single station should have a staff member in it,” he said.
“Then, just roving staff members on Luas and DART - just being present and not necessarily having to do anything.”
'It's pretty safe'
Speaking to commuters, Josh found their experiences of public transport varied significantly.
“The odd time you would see anti-social behaviour,” Leon told Josh.
“I feel like it’s getting more common now than it ever was - I don’t know why.”
Recently Leon did see a woman “under the influence” taken away by security after she knocked a man out of his seat.
“It was terrible behaviour, that shouldn’t be happening on the Luas at all,” he said.
📢 Act now for safety! The speed of your report matters. Luas App, WhatsApp (087 055 5715), or text "Luas" to 51444, quick reporting expedites action. Let's work together to maintain a safe and enjoyable #Luas experience. 🚄 See https://t.co/J5IFPrYNZk pic.twitter.com/SlXphrD8WT
— Luas (@Luas) December 4, 2023
Another man had an overwhelmingly positive experience.
“It’s pretty safe,” a man said.
“I only get the DART out to Dún Laoghaire and there might be the odd… messer, you know?
“Nothing serious.”
There is an emergency number passengers can call if they see antisocial behaviour but he has never used it.
“I noticed that number though,” he said.
“It’s good that it’s there, it’s good to know in the back of your head but I’ve never had to use it, thank God.”
Main image: DART at the platform.
