More attacks on Luxembourg bus drivers and train staff

Whether bus, train or tram – public transport employees are increasingly becoming the target of violence and the number of reported offences has exploded in recent years, though this could be linked to better reporting, according to Luxembourg Mobility Minister Yuriko Backes.

The increase in incidents is particularly high on the City of Luxembourg bus network (AVL), the southern bus network Tice and Luxtram, Backes said in answer to a parliamentary question. The number of assaults on staff at these operators more than tripled between 2022 and 2024.

Last year, 74 assaults were reported at AVL, 39 at Tice and 31 at Luxtram. At the RGTR overland bus service, the figures rose from 28 to 51 between 2022 and 2024, and at rail operator CFL from 168 to 216. The vast majority of assaults are verbal in nature, in the form of insults. However, physical attacks are also becoming increasingly common.

At least in the case of CFL, cases of vandalism have also risen sharply. This includes graffiti, for example, but also damage to buses or trains. While only 69 such cases were reported in 2022, this figure rose to 185 in 2023. 312 cases of vandalism were reported last year.

No security staff on buses in the future either

The increase in numbers at least in part could be due to application introduced last year that allows CFL employees to report incidents via an app, Backes said. Other operators have also recently introduced this app. The simplified procedures for reporting attacks “could have statistically influenced the number of reported cases,” said Backes.

Offenders can be banned from using public transport, Backes said.

“As soon as the ministry is informed by the operators of incidents of verbal aggression or assault against staff or passengers or vandalism, the dossier is analysed and a ban can then be imposed,” said Backes. Offenders can then be barred from using public transport for up to a year.

However, there will still be no security staff on buses in the future. Former Mobility Minister François Bausch (Déi Gréng) had already said in 2022 that putting security staff on all public transport was not possible as the cost would vastly outweigh the benefits.

(This article was first published on Wort.lu. Translated using AI, edited by Tracy Heindrichs.)