Bus Éireann suspended its 203 service in Cork due to antisocial behaviour and a smashed window. The incident has raised concerns about passenger and driver safety.
The bus was not serving the Parklands Drive/Fairhill area for a while. A photo taken around 7:30 PM showed the back window smashed.
Bus Éireann confirmed the incident and said it was reported to An Garda Síochána. They emphasized that they do not tolerate antisocial or criminal behaviour. The safety of staff and passengers is very important to them.
An eyewitness mentioned that the driver faced verbal abuse during the incident. This isn’t the first time a Bus Éireann service has been halted for similar reasons.
In October, some services were stopped in Mahon due to stone throwing and vandalism. The month before, a disgruntled passenger smashed a window on a 202 bus.
In August, a driver was hospitalized after an assault on Patrick’s Street. That same month, two men threatened a driver at traffic lights in Ballincollig.
There have been increasing calls for dedicated transport policing. In January, the government approved new police resources for public transport in Ireland.
Dermot O’Leary from the National Bus and Rail Union welcomed this decision after years of campaigning for better policing.
At an NBRU conference in October 2022, a female bus driver shared her nightmare experience of being threatened while working in Cork.
Last July, SIPTU called for urgent action after a female driver was shot in the face with an airgun in Limerick.
