Crime on buses soars despite huge fall in passenger numbers
Crime on buses has shot up by more than a third despite passenger numbers plummeting due to the pandemic.
New figures from West Midlands Police show 4,101 crimes were recorded on the region's bus network in 2021, up 34 per cent from 3,061 in 2019.
Violent attacks made up a third of all crimes on buses (1,367), while there were 809 recorded cases of arson and criminal damage, up by 42 per cent over two years.
Sexual offences went up by 33 per cent from 2019, with 170 cases recorded last year. The figures also show there were 75 crimes against staff, mainly bus drivers.
Crime on the railways dropped markedly over two years, falling 33 per cent from 2,275 to 1,520.
Police say the spike in bus crime is down to a combination of factors including an increase in reporting.
It comes after transport bosses in the region admitted they are struggling to get people back on the buses after passenger numbers were hit by the Covid lockdowns.
WMP spends £1million-a-year on its Safer Travel Team – which includes officers on buses – in a bid to make people feel safer on public transport.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, said: "People feeling safe on public transport is hugely important. I am continuing to invest in Safer Travel to make sure we maintain a dedicated team focussed on keeping us safe on the buses, trams and trains. If we want more people to use public transport, then they need to feel safe doing so.
"I welcome the falls in crime on the rail network, but am concerned about rising crime on the buses.
"Some of this can be explained by increased confidence of victims to come forward and better recording practices, but nevertheless this emphasises the importance of the Safer Travel Team’s work."
Figures from the Department for Transport show 117 million bus journeys were taken in the West Midlands in 2020-21, compared to 322 million in 2018-19.
Speaking in parliament last month, Chris Lane, head of transport innovation at Transport for West Midlands, said the region was facing a major challenge to get people back on buses and trains after many had ditched public transport during the pandemic.
