LOGAN’S bus drivers will be given extra protection under a new government program in collaboration with unions.
They’ll receive more full safety barriers and there will be additional network officers patrolling public transport services.
The five-year plan will also look to put extra police on public transport, but they will be focused on the Brisbane metropolitan area.
The new network officers will be placed with delivery partners (unions) and operate on public transport networks where they are needed most.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the significant investment of more than $60 million in frontline public transport services comes as patronage is expected to boom over the next decade.
“As we build a bigger and better public transport network, it is critical that the right safety measures are in place for all Queenslanders who work or travel on public transport,” he said.
“Our new network officer strategy will provide an overwhelming increase to our frontline transport force that will create about 100 new ongoing, fulltime jobs.”
The initial phase of the program will see 29 officers on the Gold Coast, in Logan and on the Sunshine Coast.
As well as having a focus on safety, officers will be charged with preventing fare evasion on the public transport network. They will have extended powers to enforce conditions of travel and may issue infringement notices, including fines, for public transport offences.
Recruitment begins in February.
Mr Bailey said the new strategy would boost the total number of workers managing fare compliance, safety and security on Queensland public transport networks.
“The deployment of extra frontline resources will help ensure revenue is reinvested in new and improved public transport services which benefit all users,“ he said.
“This package has been developed in partnership with bus drivers, and key stakeholders including the Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union, and the Transport Workers Union, and I’d like to acknowledge their strong advocacy on this issue.”
As part of the package to improve public transport safety, bus driver barriers are now mandatory in Queensland for all new urban fleet buses on the Translink network, an initiative of the Government’s Bus Driver Safety Review.
Transport Workers Union director of organising Jared Abbott said they’d been working hard on behalf of drivers.
“To see full safety barriers across the network is a great first step towards improved safety, and increasing the number of Network Officers not only helps protect bus drivers but also passengers using the service,” Mr Abbott said.
“Our members have been calling for this type of action, so I’m pleased to see the government has heard our concerns, and is taking some action.
“We’ll continue to do everything we can to create safer working conditions for our members and all bus drivers across Queensland.”
