Gary Froggatt: Tramways Union President on the new measures to increase safety for public transport workers

There’s relief from the bus drivers union as the Government announces new measures to improve workplace safety.  

It includes new aggravating factors in sentencing for attacks on transport workers and a $15 million injection into safety precautions.  

Tramways Union President Gary Froggatt told Ryan Bridge that it’s another weapon in the armoury defending against this type of crime. 

He said it will make some passengers think again before assaulting a bus driver, however it’s not going to be a solution on its own, and the sooner things like safety screens can be installed, the better.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The government's introducing a new aggravating factor for us fences
against public transport workers. This is after attack on bus
drivers and passengers on the buses as well has left
them bashed and bloodied and bruised. Gary Froget is with us.
He's the Tramways union president. Gary. Good morning, Good morning, Ryan,
Thanks for being with me. Tell me do you think

(00:20):
this aggravating factor for offenses is going to help? Is
going to deter people who do this?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Well, I guess it's another weapon in the armory against
this type of crime. It will help make some passengers
think again before assaulting a bus driver. However, it's not
going to be a solution on its own. The quicker
at can install the promise safety screens would be a
much better solution.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
I think yeah, And there is money, they say, money
coming for that. Why do they generally attack bus drivers?

Speaker 2 (00:55):
What sets it off? Well, mainly it's over fears. When
the driver questions why their hot card doesn't work, they
get aggravated. The driver usually tells them to take a seat,
But in the last four instances in the last two weeks,

(01:15):
we've discovered that the passengers come down the aisle and
then whack the driver while he's actually driving the bus.
We don't know what triggers that off. Maybe they don't
like authority being asked to pay their fare. I'm not sure.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
So what are you What are the drivers told to
do in that situation? Are they told to tell them
to sit down? Or what's the rule?

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Well? Often transportive in this particular case, or can transport
have now agree that bus drivers are no longer required
to monitor the fair cards all and the drivers have
been told not to question the passengers, just to let
them take a seat, lose a couple of dollars and

(02:01):
have a bus driver off work for three months or so.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
I can see the logic, But man, it's a sad
day when you have to just let them run a mark,
isn't it?

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yes, it is. It's not acceptable, But I don't have
a solution. We can't have a police officer on every bus, unfortunately,
and we really don't want that. In the old days,
of course, there was a conductor who collected the fares
and they acted as a type of security. Gary.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
What about slamming on the brakes, Well.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
That has happened on occasions. One of our drivers did that, unfortunately,
the bus company didn't like it, and when he tried
to kick the passenger off the bus, they got upset
and tried to threaten him with some penalty. So it's
a difficult situation.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
It is rocking a hard place. Gary, thanks very much
for being with me. Hopefully the new aggravating factor might
make some difference. That's Gary Frogett. He's the Tramways Union president.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
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