Senator renews calls for dedicated Garda public transport unit

Fianna Fáil Senator for Dublin Central, Mary Fitzpatrick, has made renewed calls for a dedicated Garda public transport unit following the publishing of a survey.

Last week,  Fianna Fáil  launched a transport safety survey asking commuters how safe they feel on public transport in Dublin.

Such was the response, the survey has now been extended nationwide at the request of the public, TDs and councillors outside of Dublin, with feedback now encouraged from all counties.

Senator Fitzpatrick said: “Unfortunately, not everyone feels safe using public transport.

“Incidents of dangerous unruly behaviour have become far too commonplace and have become more extreme in nature.

“The safety and security of passengers and staff must be paramount.

“It is in the public good in every sense that public transport is used, embraced and an attractive option for the travelling public. It needs to be affordable, efficient but also safe.

“In order to further enhance and strengthen our services across Dublin and indeed nationwide, Fianna Fáil want to hear the views of passengers and commuters on how we can best support safer public transport for all.

“My colleagues and I in Fianna Fáil will continue to campaign for the introduction of a dedicated Garda transport unit to help protect people using public transport.

“There needs to be a consistent approach to this. We must have a consistent and effective mechanism for security on public transport. People must feel safe.”