Patrol unit to stay on the buses

Security officers will continue to patrol bus services and stations in Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton for another year, helping passengers feel safer on public transport.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) and the Greater Manchester Bus Operators Association (GMBOA) have agreed to invest nearly £150,000 in the region's Patrol and Response Unit over the next 12 months.

The scheme launched in 2006 with uniformed officers working closely with the police, GMPTE and bus operators to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour on the bus network.

Last year they responded to more than 200 incidents on buses and at stations throughout Greater Manchester.

GMPTA’s Policy Committee Chairman, Councillor Keith Whitmore, said: “Passenger safety and security is one of our top priorities and the Patrol and Response officers are doing a great job in reassuring passengers.

“We want people to be safe on public transport and to feel safe too. It’s great for passengers to know that there is a response unit actually patrolling services and stations, and who are also on call to deal with specific problems.

“And they don’t just deal with specific incidents – by their presence they are also helping to prevent antisocial behaviour in the first place.”

GMBOA, which represents the vast majority of the region's bus operators, has agreed to provide £60,000 of the total cost of the Patrol and Response Unit over the next year.

GMBOA Chairman, Mark Threapleton, said: “Bus operators fully support the PTA’s priority to improve the safety of our passengers, as well as our own staff.

“This initiative has shown very encouraging results over the past 12 months and we are pleased to support it for another year, as one of a number of partnership ventures we are participating in with the PTA, GMPTE and the police, to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour on buses.”

The security officers board nearly 100 buses each week and spend more than 50 hours patrolling bus stations. The majority of incidents they attend involve antisocial behaviour.

Further information about public transport services in Greater Manchester is available at www.gmpte.com, or by calling Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 (calls cost 10p per minute from landlines). Lines are open from 7am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 8pm at weekends.