Nuisances facing ban from public transport

COUNCILLOR ANDREW FENDER

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NUISANCE passengers and people who repeatedly engage in anti-social behaviour of Manchester's public transport could be banned from the network.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), with support of Greater Manchester Police and operators, is seeking additional powers to be able to apply for injunctions that would prevent those who engage in anti-social behaviour from using public transport including the bus and tram networks.

The case was considered by the Home Office Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Advisory Board last month and a further application will be made to the Home Secretary for a final decision.

Councillor Andrew Fender, TfGM committee chairman, said: "The fear of crime and anti-social behaviour is a key factor that can influence a person's decision whether or not to use public transport, so tackling this issue is a clear strategic priority for us, the operators and police.

"Not only do we want people to be safe when they travel, we want them to feel safe.

"By working collaboratively under the Travel Safe Partnership we gain better intelligence that allows us to be more targeted and responsive in our operations."

The update is included in a paper to be discussed at Friday's Bus Networks and TfGM services committee alongside information carried out by the Travel Safe Partnership, a multi-agency approach to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour on Greater Manchester transport.

The partnership is responsible for the Travelsafe Unit, which has had many notable successes since it launched including making numerous arrests of "most wanted" individuals and helping to deter crime and anti-social behaviour.

The unit also supports major events, is involved in various youth engagement schemes and supports operations to crack down on fare evasion.

John Fryer, TfGM's safer travel manager, said: "Gaining the necessary powers to issue civil injunctions will be a welcome addition to our armoury when it comes to deterring crime and ASB.

"Transport is not a special case when it comes to such matters, but the point I'd like to reinforce is that with approximately 37 million journeys on Metrolink and 206 million on the bus network in Greater Manchester in 2016, the chance of being a victim of, or witness to such an incident, is extremely rare."

Incidents of anti-social behaviour on the tram and bus networks have increased in line with incidents nationally and significant growth of the transport network, including the opening of the Leigh Guided Busway and various Metrolink extensions.

For information on public transport across Greater Manchester visit www.tfgm.com, call 0161 244 1000 (7am-8pm, Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm at weekends and bank holidays) or follow @OfficialTfGM on Twitter.