{"id":11377,"date":"2017-02-08T14:00:24","date_gmt":"2017-02-08T14:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=11377"},"modified":"2017-02-08T15:03:32","modified_gmt":"2017-02-08T15:03:32","slug":"zero-tolerance-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=11377","title":{"rendered":"Zero tolerance"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p>Driving a bus isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t easy \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to be constantly on alert, surveying both what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening on the road and monitoring passengers in your vehicle to ensure their safety.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But what many don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realise is that drivers are often subject to all manner of abuse from the public.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Take, for example, one Yellow Buses driver in Bournemouth, who was viciously spat on by an allegedly drunken passenger on Saturday (February 5).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere&#8217;s a bit of DNA &#8212; all over your face,&#8221; the passenger said before spitting on the driver and ambling down into the bus to get a seat.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The driver promptly pulled the offending passenger off the bus by his hoodie onto the pavement by the bus stop, saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take no s**t from you.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 He then apologised to his passengers and carried on with his day, as the passengers cheered and clapped.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The incident was caught on camera, and in a matter of days, the video has gone viral, with more than 5m views and thousands of social media comments from the public who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve congratulated the driver for standing up both for himself and his passengers, who could have easily also been abused by the man had he been allowed on the bus.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0kING5rKp-M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThat bus driver is a legend,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 one commenter said on social media. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bHe stood up for what he thought\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6was right.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You sir, have my utmost respect and I would like to shake your hand,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bYou showed self-control (which many of us most probably wouldn&#8217;t have) to protect yourself and your passengers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dorset Police and Yellow Buses have both launched an investigation into the incident.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Unite regional officer Bob Lanning said that unfortunately, passengers spitting at bus drivers is an all-too common occurrence and added that it \u00e2\u20ac\u015bcan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be tolerated in any circumstances\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is completely unacceptable and we would strongly support any driver who is a Unite member wishing to pursue this matter with the police,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Assault screens<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Lanning explained that 15 years ago, he played a key role in getting Yellow Buses in Bournemouth to introduce fitted assault screens because of drunken passengers throwing punches and spitting at members.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe drivers at that time felt under threat and the introduction of the screens made such unacceptable behaviour more difficult,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI will check with the bus company to see if the screens are still being fitted and if any additional measures could be implemented.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bDrunkenness is a problem for all those serving the public on the frontline whether it is in a busy A&amp;E hospital department or on a bus in Bournemouth \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and such behaviour has Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unreserved condemnation,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Lanning went on to say.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Unite national officer for passenger transport Bobby Morton agreed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Safety<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIncidences of abuse against bus drivers are a common occurrence in all parts of the country \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and can often end in serious injury to the bus driver,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Morton added that the problem has gotten worse since the government changed licensing laws so that people are able to drink at all hours of the day.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAt any time of the day, a passenger who has had too much to drink can board a bus and be a danger to bus drivers and other passengers,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bExcessive consumption of alcohol is known to have a significant mood-changing effect such that the risk of abuse is that much higher.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut sometimes, abuse isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t alcohol-related at all \u00e2\u20ac\u201c passengers in a bad mood simply lash out,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Morton added.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why, Morton noted, installing protective shields on buses is so important. Unite, he said, is in constant dialogue with bus operators across the UK about improving safety for drivers, which includes urging companies to install protective shields. Most buses, Morton added, do have some form of protective shield protecting the bus driver.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bObviously protective shields will entail additional costs to the bus operator, but in our view, these costs are minimal if it keeps our bus drivers safe,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Commenting on the video, Morton said he had \u00e2\u20ac\u015butmost sympathy for the driver\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was a difficult situation \u00e2\u20ac\u201c no one should have to deal with what was essentially physical assault,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut the scenario could very well have played out differently \u00e2\u20ac\u201c if the passenger had a group of friends with him, for example, they could have retaliated and the driver and others could have gotten hurt.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnfortunately, abuse like this that many bus drivers suffer does not often end in successful prosecutions against the perpetrators,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Morton added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut Unite stands by its members wholeheartedly, supports them in reporting incidents of abuse to the police, and will continue to work to improve safety for bus drivers and passengers alike.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Driving a bus isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t easy \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to be constantly on alert, surveying both what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening on the road and monitoring passengers in your vehicle to ensure their safety. &nbsp; But what many don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realise is that drivers are often subject to all manner of abuse from the public. &nbsp; Take, for example, one [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2623,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[681,176],"wps_subtitle":"Unite in protect bus workers call","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11377"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11379,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11377\/revisions\/11379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}