Travel staff need defence from attacks, union says

Transport workers in London are being punched, spat at, sexually assaulted, verbally harassed and threatened "on a daily basis", according to a union which is demanding better protection for its members.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said Transport for London (TfL) must ensure stations are staffed properly and have more police officers at each location.

It also wants assaulting a transport worker to be made a specific offence.

Data from the London Assembly indicated that in 2023-24 there was an average of 200 incidents a week.

In February, the London Assembly Transport Committee heard from front-line workers as part of an investigation into assaults on transport staff.

Luke Banks, a revenue control officer on the London Underground, was assaulted at King's Cross Station last year after stepping in to defend a colleague who was being threatened.

He told assembly members: "The customer turned on me, shoved us both in the chest and started screaming death threats."

Paul Feakes, a fellow revenue control inspector, was punched twice by a member of the public and "dragged across the ticket hall floor".

A senior front-line staffer said the levels of abuse "seem to have hit record levels following a hollowing out of the workforce".

They added: "We've seen a lot more opportunists trying to travel for free, while violence against staff is through the roof. We've had broken jaws, eye sockets, brain damage - that used to be super rare even a decade ago, now it's commonplace."

The latest figures suggest a 35% increase in incidents against rail staff and 18.5% against bus drivers since 2021.

John Leach, from the RMT, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service said: "In London, we had a case of one of our members being killed in Ilford - but every day we have members being punched, spat at, sexually assaulted, verbally harassed, threatened – it's worse than its ever been, and TfL don't even deny it."

Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, said the "rising levels of hostility and hate across society make clear that we cannot be complacent".

She said they were "working closely" with staff, the police, operators and trade unions and had taken measures including making body‑worn video essential kit for all front line staff, improving CCTV and making interventions to reduce the triggers of conflict.

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