By Archie McFadzean

As many people are aware, over the past several years antisocial behaviour has become much more prominent when travelling on public services.

There has been a significant rise in this behaviour in the UK especially. Earlier this year, a 14-year-old schoolboy was tragically stabbed to death on a bus in Southeast London.

Incidents like this are very common, and they raise several different questions: What is being put in place to prevent these incidents from taking place? What could organisations such as the British Transport Police be doing to make people feel safe, especially regarding vulnerable people such as young women?

Boarding a train at Queen Street station via Getty Images

Across Glasgow, many regular commuters say there has been a very visible change in atmosphere when it comes to travelling within the city. Late-night bus rides used to be filled with chatter and excitement, and now they feel tense and unnerving. Subway journeys that felt like a normal everyday activity can be an uncomfortable one now, especially being sat near a drunken crowd fresh from a sub-crawl.

From students heading home from class to people commuting from work, a great many have experienced alarming incidents on public transport.

Reports of antisocial behaviour on Glasgow’s public transport system have been on the rise. Transport operators such as the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and the British transport police have put in place deterrents such as CCTV cameras, staff patrols, awareness campaigns. Yet many travellers still feel unsafe.

According to data from Transport Scotland, injuries from accidents in train stations increased from 471 in 2022 to 524 in 2023. These statistics may not seem that drastic, but they do have a more serious undertone. This shows these incidents are on the rise, these small increases reflect a larger underlying issue in public confidence and safety.

However, public behaviour is not the only reason why more of these incidents are occurring. Some fault lies with the lack of funding for transport by the government. This serious lack of funding causes issues such as a lack of staff, overcrowding, and buildings and equipment being poorly maintained.

Ultimately antisocial behaviour is only part of the problem. Years of underfunding have left the public transport sector in this state. Until these deeper issues are addressed, the people of Glasgow will continue to ask themselves the same question. Is public transport still as safe?

The problem of safety on public transport: What has gone wrong?