Collaborative Efforts to tackle problems in Tallaght met with success

The collaborative efforts of local gardai, trade unions and Dublin Bus to tackle the issue of bus curtailments due to anti- social activities have worked out well.

The number of bus service curtailments have been reduced considerably. National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has praised the strong collaborative efforts at the local level.

As per Sean Yeates, local union representative, the present arrangements are going well, even ahead of Halloween period where the anti- social behaviors be on the rise.

Dublin Bus services have been curtailed due to anti-social behaviors such as the throwing of stones or the setting of fireworks near buses.

And according to the figures released to Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward services have been curbed about 92 times.

At the current rate, the total number of curtailments for this year should be far higher than the 108 instances for all of 2019.

The 27 bus – the route which passes through Tallaght and ends at Jobstown – has had 21 reported instances of curtailments this year, and is only second to the 40-bus route (which has had 35). According to Yeates, the situation in Tallaght has improved recently.

“Going back 25 years, we could have had spikes where you could have 30-40 incidents [of anti-social behaviour] over the space of a few months,” he said. “Curtailments are a vital part of giving us breathing space and pulling a route of an area for an hour. If it happens again that day, we’ll pull all services for the rest of the evening.”

Any sort of such anti-social behaviours will be reported and informed to the gardais immediately.

Curtailments are usually automatically put in place in that area so that other buses on the same service will bypass that area for at least one hour before returning to its normal route.

Meantime, an inspector from Dublin Bus will attend the scene and Yeates said local gardaí are especially proactive in attending the scene to support the bus services.

“We meet every month then,” the union rep said. “And we iron out whatever issues we have with all the stakeholders. For the likes of Halloween, then, we’d meet up well in advance.”

This arrangement was made in 2017 after an increase in anti-social behavior in the west Tallaght area.

At the time, the NBRU told Dublin Bus that “no frontline worker should have to endure such treatment, yet Dublin Bus management expects drivers just to put up with these horrid working conditions”.

Drivers are being given a firm support by the unions and the company in addressing these anti-social behaviors

“Coming up to Halloween, we’ll work closely with all involved,” he said. “If a driver reports back a bonfire being set up too close to the road, the gardaí will contact the council who’ll arrange for it to be moved.

If we have to do curtailments, it’s only for that area and we find an alternate way to get onto the normal route.

If there’s more than two instances we pull the services for the evening. We work well with all involved. It’s something that should be being replicated around the city.”

Local Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart attends the monthly fora where unions, gardaí, local representatives, community organizations and Dublin Bus can discuss ongoing issues.

He told a daily that it is a matter that requires “constant vigilance” and that each party meeting face-to-face is far better at resolving issues than email and phone calls.

“There’s an effective process in place,” he said. “The gardaí do great work and Dublin Bus do a lot of outreach themselves. They go into schools and say things like it could be your mam or your granny on that bus and stuff like that.”

Lahart noted that constituents hadn’t raised much issues concerning anti-social behaviors, in recent months, and Transdev was being similarly proactive in tackling such behavior on Luas services.

In a statement, Dublin Bus said CCTV and security screens for drivers have helped to reduce anti-social behavior and vandalism on buses in recent years.

“There’s a range of people putting the work in, and it’s important now heading into Halloween,” he added.

“I think there’s a kind of low-grade stress everyone is feeling with what we’re living through. Everyone’s beginning to realize these measures will be with us and Covid will be with us for a while. For younger people that can be very challenging, but they’ve done exceptionally well through all this.”

The company stressed its “strong and close working relationship with the gardaí” had also played a role.

Dublin Bus said: “We also operate a Schools Education Programme which involves educating young people about the importance of the bus in their lives and in their local community.

“The work of our School and Community Co-ordinators has also proven highly successful in encouraging young people to respect their bus and has assisted greatly in the reduction of incidents of anti-social behavior.”