Things that happen on Melbourne Trams

Oct. 4, 2011 - PRLog -- Back in approximately 2002 during my time working as a tram driver in Melbourne there were many violent incidences.

Here is one of many stories I will share.

The corruption, violence and lack of staff professionalism is worthy of noting for everyone to read.

I was driving a tram, out of the city towards Camberwell on Malvern Road. It was approximately 8pm or 9pm at night. There were not many passengers on the tram, maybe about 15 people. It was a very quiet trip and that late workers were relaxed in the tram and all was peaceful.

There was one male passenger sitting directly behind my drivers cabin. He was alone, and apparently traveling home from work as he was in a suit and very nicely dressed, professional looking.

Upon approaching one stop and male and female couple from the back of the tram pulled the cord to hop out at the next stop. I stopped the tram and opened the doors, instead of the couple alighting from the near rear exit they walked to the front of the tram. Nothing wrong with this, many people do that, some for safety because cars do not stop and some to say thank you to the driver. So I did not think of it as strange that they were coming to alight from the front door.

As the woman left the tram and the male was about to leave the front door he as quick as lightning doubled back in to the tram and hurled a bottle of beer at the man who was sitting behind me and calling him a child molester, completely random and manically out of control, hurling abuse at this poor man who he just threw the bottle of beer at while he was literally foaming at the mouth as he hurled verbal obscenities.

The bottle of beer crashed on the mans shoulder and then smashed open on the wall behind him where he sat. The man did not know what to do, he wiped his suit and stayed quiet.

At this point I will say, I hated my job, but if anyone ever toyed with a passenger I would be the first one in to defend them. So, me being me, I said from my drivers cabin....to the offender..."You can wait out there on the street for the police" He screamed back at me, "This guy toys with Children." I said to him, well obviously you know this man very well to pass such accusations" He said no, I do not know him at all.

So, the offender and his female companion proceeded to wait on the nature strip as I stated for the police to arrive. I closed the doors so the couple could not get back in the tram and left the drivers cabin and did a speech to all of the passengers. I said "You would all be aware of what just happened! I will be holding this tram until police arrive, if any of you have a problem with this, then just remember, if it was you that this happened to, I would do exactly the same to defend any of you, this man or any one does not and should not have to deal with this violence in a public place where you should be safe." All of the passengers said, no that is OK...we are with you.

From here I called fleet on the tram AVM and requested police. Explained what had happened. Fleet told me to "Continue on driver." I said no, do you understand that a passenger, one of your paying customers has just been assaulted, police assistance is required and that I refused to move on without this issue being formally reported.

So, then fleet said, we will send an inspector out to review the situation. 20 minutes later a runty inspector by the name of Con arrived. I opened the doors and he boarded the tram, "Whats going on?" I told him and said, I'm not moving until the police arrive. The inspector did not even ask the victim if he was OK. He did not care one single bit. Then the inspector abused me and told me to continue driving and I should not worry about this. He said it right in front of the victim.

So I went mental and told him he has no customer ethics whatsoever, what if that bottle broke the mans jaw or worse, a formal report of assault needed to be taken down. He refused to call the police.... so me, him and the passengers came to a stale mate. One passenger from the back of the tram approached the inspector and said "Who the F are you? This girl is doing the most amazing job at protecting the passengers welfare and you come on the scene and you can't even show comradeship, group work or customer skills...get the F out of the tram a**hole."

The inspector, like a scared little rat left the tram... as he left, I said to him, you wait out there with the offender and I will call the police myself. I rang the police of my own merit. Then I rang fleet tot ell them I had called the police and that the inspector was instructed to wait with the offender until the police arrived. After this I started driving.

I spoke to the victim, and the other passengers... we all had a good chat and they were so disgusted at how the whole situation was handled and that my so called superior would not back me or the victim up at all.

I urged the victim and all passengers to make their own reports and complaints but I don't think that they did. The police did arrive and picked the offender up.

This is only one story of violence that I have seen on public transport, please people, be so careful. I would have given my life for any passenger while I was employed in the trams, but it's a shame that in such a world renowned organisation that the staff cannot even figure out how to perform unity.

Meanwhile I was eventually sacked and that runty inspector kept his job, and these are the morons that the people have to travel with and deal with. Just all...be so careful on the transport...it is really volatile and incredibly unprofessional.

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MMAPP Band management. Melbourne, Australia
MMAPP is a company in Melbourne that focuses on band management.