Bus Éireann says it is continuing to investigate an “unacceptable incident” on one of its routes in Limerick city in which a driver was threatened by a number of youths.
Gardaí are also investigating the incident on Sunday, which was described by a local union representative as an attempted hijacking in the O’Malley Park area of the city.
The incident came just days after a female bus driver was left traumatised when she was shot in the face by a child with an air gun on the same bus route.
Condemning the latest incident, Stephen Nugent of the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) said a group of youths boarded the bus on Sunday and threatened to harm the driver if he did not take them to a location away from his route, which was from Kilmallock Road to Pineview in Limerick City.
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Mr Nugent said the gang also refused to pay for tickets.
“They wanted to travel from one side of the estate to the other. They got on the bus and wouldn’t pay their fare basically. And if the driver didn’t carry them to where they wanted to go, they were going to shoot him,” Mr Nugent said.
On Thursday, Mr Nugent clarified details of the incident, saying when the bus stopped to let the teenagers off waiting youths banged on the windows but, contrary to earlier claims, there were no objects thrown at the bus. Bus Éireann said on Thursday that contrary to reports on Wednesday there was no evidence of a weapon used in the incident.
In a statement, Bus Éireann said: “This unacceptable incident involved a small number of youths boarding the bus and confronting the driver and then exiting the bus and subsequently impeding the progress of the service for a very brief period of time.”
Gardaí confirmed they are investigating a “public order incident” on the 303 bus route in the John Carew Park area at about 4.30pm on Sunday.
A Garda spokeswoman said that “investigations are ongoing”.
Bus services in the Carew Park and O’Malley Park areas have been temporarily suspended due the spate of attacks, but it is understood talks are currently ongoing between Bus Éireann and the NBRU to resume services to Carew Park only.
The NBRU has said that there will be no resumption of services in the O’Malley Park area until issues surrounding anti-social behaviour are addressed.
Until recently, bus services in O’Malley Park between 5pm and midnight were accompanied by a security car, according to Mr Nugent. “That came under attack also a couple of weeks ago,” he said.
Last Friday in which a female bus driver on the same route was shot in the face with an air gun by a boy after refused to pay his fare.
On the same 303 route, a bus driver found razor blades shoved into a number of seats on a bus during a routine inspection.
The incident was referred to Bus Éireann and An Garda Síochána, who both confirmed they were investigating.
* This article was amended on 18/07/24 to correct errors in the original version which described the incident as a hijacking and included comments since withdrawn about details of the incident.
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