Public transport workers face 1.4 million verbal assaults annually

Date: 9/10/2009

Public transport employees experience over 1.4 million verbal assaults every year.

That is the conclusion of research carried out by security company G4S, which found that transport workers face a barrage of abuse in their day jobs.

In addition to verbal assaults, there are 140,000 physical attacks on staff every year.

Steven Taylor, managing director of G4S, said that the figures were "completely unacceptable".

"While travelling can be tense and stressful at times we are calling on the public to treat all ticket inspectors, guards, conductors and drivers with courtesy and respect," he added.

The increased number of ticket barriers across the UK has also led to a rise in the amount of 'shadowing' cases, where a passenger follows closely behind another to avoid paying.

London was found to see the worst of the anti-social behaviour, with 250,000 travellers in the capital witnessing the verbal abuse of public transport officials.