Fianna Fáil Spokesperson for Dublin, John Lahart TD has said repeated incidents of unruly behaviour on the Luas serving the Capital’s passengers and commuters is causing severe disruption.
Over 1,000 incidents of anti-social behaviour on Luas Cross City services were reported in 2016.
The Deputy, who is a member of the Luas-Dublin Bus forum in Dublin South West commented, “It is deeply regrettable that passengers and commuters must continue to contact me and party colleagues in Dublin about experiencing incidents of anti-social behaviour on public transport across our city.
“Whether it’s the Luas, Dart or Dublin Bus, they each provide an essential service to so many Dubliners’ and those visiting our city. A zero tolerance approach must be taken to target the culprits and combat incidents of anti-social behaviour on transport services.
“Transdev have made substantial efforts in attempting to curb anti-social behaviour on trams during peak hours, however, I believe that private security firms do not have the necessary authority to tackle these on-going issues.
"Fianna Fáil has consistently proposed to examine the concept of establishing a Dublin Transport Police unit which will be responsible for enforcing the law on all public transport services in Dublin including the Luas Cross City.
"The majority of funding would be sourced through the public transport operators themselves. The powers of the transport police will reflect the powers of An Garda Síochána with specific limits as to jurisdiction.
"Added to this, a collaborative effort between community groups and youth services would also help to tackle challenging behaviour by some members of the public using the tram service.
He concluded, “Anti-social behaviour, threats or intimidation of any degree simply must not be tolerated on our city's public transport system.”
