Is it safe to take public transport in Dublin? 

Last week, Dublin Bus announced it would no longer run services through the Bawnogue estate in Clondalkin after dark.

For months, drivers had complained of antisocial behaviour from local youths and Dublin Bus concluded it was no longer safe for them to work there.

But what about the rest of the city?

Speaking to Josh Crosbie for The Pat Kenny Show, bus driver Tong ‘Sophie’ Liang said she encountered antisocial behaviour even when she was doing her training.

“I remember when I was training in Finglas and there were sadly two teenagers when I was driving,” she said.

“One of the boys was throwing stones through the window screen.”

At the time, Ms Liang said she felt “shocked” but now feels she would be more “calm” if it happened again.

Out in Tallaght - which is located close to Bawnogue - locals told Newstalk their experience of behaviour on public transport had varied.

“I’ve witnessed a few altercations alright,” apprentice Jayden said.

“I witnessed something a few months ago where the bus windows got smashed.

“It makes you feel unsafe.”

One woman said she has seen “nothing too serious”, although she has occasionally seen people smoking cannabis.

“I’d be very confident using public transport,” she said.

Another woman said she felt “very safe” when she took the bus.

“My journey has never been disrupted by antisocial behaviour,” she said.

Community involvement

Seán Yeats of the Dublin branch of National Bus and Railworkers' Union said Garda are Gardaí are too “tied up” to do much about antisocial behaviour.

“We don’t think that’s good enough,” he said.

“We think the parents should be involved when youths are caught.

“The cost involved for Dublin Bus and other road users should be borne by the parents.”

Mr Yeats said there are incidents on a “daily basis” across Dublin but that could change if there was greater community involvement.

“Out in Jobstown where we dealt with a lot of antisocial behaviour that has come down an awful lot because when we pulled the buses out of that area for a number of months, the local community, the parents got together with the Guards, Dublin Bus and ourselves,” he said.

“We put in place protocols that the drivers were happy with and since those protocols have been adhered to, the levels of anti-social behaviour, certainly in West Tallaght have dropped.”

Drivers have asked for the same protocols in Bawnogue and Gardaí have met with unions to discuss the request.

You can listen back here:

Main image: Dublin bus.