The service regularly tops the list when it comes to violence on board
The 74 is the region’s most dangerous bus (stock image).(Image: CoventryLive)
A bus service named as the ‘most dangerous’ travels through a significant chunk of the West Midlands every day.
The 74 service tops the list for violence on board.
It means passengers have witnessed or been victims of crime most often along this route.
READ MORE: Birmingham’s quietest and crime-free streets where residents sleep peacefully
Get the latest court and crime news direct via our WhatsApp community here
A total of 62 offences were reported to police between July and the end of December.
The 74, which frequently tops the list for violence, travels between birmingham-city-centre>Birmingham city centre and Dudley.
Key stops include Hockley Circus, Island Road, West Bromwich, Great Bridge, Sedgley Road East and Ednam Road, Dudley.
The most common type of crime was violence against the person, when attacks or fights happened on board.
This was reported on 20 occasions, closely followed by 20 thefts.
And these were only incidents that were reported to police.
At other times, passengers may have chosen to suffer in silence, not wanting to cause a fuss.
Secret to getting the best of BirminghamLive’s stories
While incidents can happen on buses, the overall risk of crime on board remains low when considering the amount of journeys which happen every day.
West Midlands Police say the chances of being a victim of crime on a bus are “very low” and that they have stepped up patrols around the transport network.
A National Express West Midlands spokesperson said: “Figures show that the chances of becoming a victim of crime on a bus are very low.
“With around four million passenger journeys made on National Express West Midlands buses each week, it means there is only one crime for every 60,000 bus rides taken every week.
“However, any incident that puts our colleagues and passengers at risk is one too many.
“We are part of the West Midlands Safer Travel Partnership and work very closely with Policing teams, using a variety of tactics to help tackle crime and antisocial behaviour across the public transport network.
“Passengers should always dial 999 if there is an urgent crime or an emergency.
“Alternatively they can use the Safer Travel’s See Something, Say Something service to discreetly report non-emergency incidents.
“Simply text SeeSay and details of the incident including time, date, location and route number to 81018.”