Members of the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) have carried an emergency motion calling for the withdrawal of bus and rail services from "problem areas" in the weeks leading up to Halloween.
Delegates at their conference voted unanimously in favour of the proposal, due to increased levels of anti-social behaviour on public transport.
Bus and train drivers say they are concerned for their own safety and the welfare of passengers.
General Secretary of the NBRU, Dermot O'Leary, said public transport operators and the Government must take action.
@DermotLeary Delegates debating emergency motion on Anti-social Behaviour @NBRU_DUBLIN Biennial Conference. A source of great disappointment to our members that they have to resort to withdrawing/curtailing Rail & Bus Services, good decent Citizens lose out. Time for Govt Action pic.twitter.com/zmgmabplH1
— DermotoLeary NBRU GS (@DermotLeary) August 23, 2019
He argued: "This is not industrial action in the normal way - this is the staff themselves... saying the companies they work for and the Government have a duty of care to them and the people they carry.
"They're not going to put themselves or their passengers in danger. There's no guarantee that they'll wait until October for this to happen - it will be incident-led, in other words."
The union - which is holding their annual conference in Cork - has called for a dedicated transport police unit to tackle the issue of anti-social behaviour.
Mr O'Leary highlighted a number of recent incidents - including a security guard at Connolly Station being "very seriously assaulted" and ending up in hospital for several days.
