A new campaign is urging kindness when using taxis and public transport after a survey revealed bus and cab drivers regularly face abuse.
For private hire and Hackney carriage drivers, racism, physical abuse and vehicle damage were all found to be common. Of all drivers, 22.1 per cent had experienced verbal abuse – among those who were not white British, the figure was 58.5 per cent – 40 per cent said passengers had deliberately damaged cars.
Among bus drivers, 23.5 per cent had experienced racist verbal abuse, 20 per cent homophobic abuse – and 86 per cent had experienced damage to busses.
The campaign will reach out to passengers using posters, in-app messaging, leaflets, social media and on-street advertising. People will be urged to be kind to their driver and each other, with the mantra that one kind act can change someone’s day.
Councillor Rob Pritchard, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Crime Prevention and Culture, said: “Bus and taxi drivers provide an absolutely essential service and they deserve to do their jobs safely, with respect and without experiencing abuse or being worried about experiencing it.
“The results of the survey reveal the extent of abuse people are facing, and it’s completely unacceptable. The aim of the campaign is to help people understand the impact their behaviour has and make a change. Part of this is understanding the cumulative effect on drivers – that incidents can happened multiple times in a week. Simply urging people to be kind can help them rethink how they’re treating others.
“We also want drivers to feel supported and know that bad behaviour won’t be tolerated. Drivers are not obligated to carry passengers who choose to ignore the campaign and continue to be abusive”.
Look out for the campaign around the city centre, on social media, inside Paragon Station, at bus stop sites and in taxi booking apps.
