Bus-latching youths risking injury

Teens get fingers into vehicles' boots

Young people in Exeter are reportedly jumping onto the back of buses, risking injuring themselves and causing problems for drivers and passengers.

Stagecoach’s Devon boss says he’s aware of the incidents in the Mincinglake area and that the firm is looking at adapting the back of buses to stop people being able to latch on.

The issue was raised by Councillor Tracy Adams (Labour, Pinhoe & Mincinglake) at a meeting of the Exeter highways and traffic orders committee last week, during a Q&A with the bus company’s managing director Mike Watson.

Ms Adams said a number of reports of such incidents involving young people had been reported in Mincinglake, and it is a safety issue.

Mr Watson acknowledged the problem, telling councillors he believed police had taken action on a number of incidents.

“We need that to continue to be honest with you, because this is antisocial behaviour that comes from the local community. And if the local community is essentially not adhering to the law, then we collectively have a problem,” he said.

Stagecoach is looking at modifying the back of its buses to try to stop the incidents,  Mr Watson revealed, “so that actually they can’t get their fingers in the boot.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Devon and Cornwall Police for more information on the reports, but they did not issue a response by the time of publication.

During the meeting, Mr Watson also announced Stagecoach service reductions come into force from this week, following months of disruptions caused by a shortage of drivers.

The changes – including many in Exeter – are billed as temporary while new drivers are trained, but the managing director warned further reductions are “almost inevitable” due to cost pressures and lower passenger numbers, which are down 30 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.