Questions around the safety of public transport have been raised after a bus driver was threatened by a man holding what appeared to be a gun.

SIPTU have instructed its member drivers to withdraw some services until the trade union representatives meet with management to try and agree actions to improve driver safety.

Bus driver and SIPTU spokesperson Suzanne told Lunchtime Live that a lack of protection for drivers makes it hard to run transport services.

“SIPTU have been calling for public transport police units across all public transport and that’s where we’re going,” she said.

“So, the Government have said that they will do it, but we haven’t got it yet, it’s on their agenda. [...]

“The most important thing is driver safety and passenger safety and if it’s not safe to be in an area, we have to protect our members.”

Dublin bus. Photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Spokesperson for SIPTU Stephen Millen said that while the organisation is not fixed on one model for the transport police, uniformity is essential.

“We have so many different modes of transport here, buses, trains, Luas,” he said.

“There’s no link between them all, for someone could board a bus and cause trouble and threaten the passengers and the driver.

“That individual then might be removed by the Guards and go off on their way and then they can board a train or board a Luas.

“Where the transport police, they’d be looking after all modes of transport and they would know these individuals, because the majority of people that travel on public transport just want to get from A to B.”

Driver 'very shaken up'

Mr Millen said the driver involved in the recent incident in Mountjoy is “very shaken up”.

“You leave your house, you’re coming to work, the last thing you expect is someone to pull a gun and point in your face and threaten your life,” he said.

“It’s something that a lot of people in their lifetime will never experience.

“So, it’s obviously affecting him greatly, and we hope that he can come around and get back behind the wheel of the bus again, but obviously it’s going to take time.”

According to Mr Millen, the Guards have been involved in investigating the incident.

Main image: Buses in Dublin city, 20-1-21. Image: NurPhoto SRL / Alamy