Glasgow bus operator First reports that it is reviewing the allocation of new buses on Services 56 and 57, following a spate of vandalism attacks, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to buses.
Earlier this year, 84 new buses were delivered to First as part of a £29m investment in 220 new buses for Glasgow. Services 56 and 57 were amongst the first routes to benefit from this investment, with buses being fitted with CCTV and the conversion of the route to low floor status. However First says it is now considering withdrawing the new buses from these routes and reallocating them. In two days, four separate incidents occurred within the Shawlands and Pollok area of the city. Seats have been slashed, interior panels severely damaged and in the latest incident roof panels and paper were set on fire causing serious smoke damage to the vehicles. Fortunately there were no injuries to staff or passengers on these occasions.
Alan Pert, Security Manager at First in Glasgow said: “We are disgusted by the foolish and anti-social behaviour of the youths causing these problems and would urge them to think seriously about the possible consequences of their actions. We cannot afford to allow this kind of behaviour to continue however, if it does we will have no alternative but to put older vehicles onto the particular routes. This is not a decision we take lightly and it is unfortunate that the wider travelling public could suffer as a result of the reckless behaviour of others. However, the safety of our passengers and driving staff remains paramount.”
