Bus passengers feel insecure particularly in Helsinki area

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A recent survey commissioned by the Ministry of Transport and Communications indicates that passengers on public transport in the Helsinki region feel more insecure, particularly at weekends and at night, than do passengers in other large Finnish cities.
      Only on weekdays is public transport reported to be safe in all big cities.
     
The survey compared the perceived security of public transport in the capital area with that in seven other Finnish cities, including Turku, Tampere, Oulu, Lahti, Kuopio, Jyväskylä, and Pori. The comparison involved observations on bus transport in the late winter of 2006.
      Surprisingly, nighttime public transport caused even more personal security concerns in Turku than in the capital region.
      "Attacks on bus drivers that took place during the time of the survey were likely to have some effect on the Turku results", estimates Katariina Myllärniemi from the ministry, who conducted the survey.
      In the capital region, the security of public transport was ranked the lowest in the entire country, while Turku was next and Tampere the third lowest of all those cities involved in the survey.
     
Harassment at bus stops was most frequently experienced in the Greater Helsinki area. One in three respondents reported having been harassed while waiting for a bus.
      In Tampere, Jyväskylä, and Lahti this had happened to one in five passengers, and in Turku to 17 per cent of those questioned.
      The survey also reveals that more than half of passengers had witnessed others being hassled or attacked in the Greater Helsinki area.
     
Threatening behaviour on buses had been witnessed by one in three passengers in the capital region, while one in three respondents in Tampere had been disturbed by other passengers' intrusion.
      Violence on buses was encountered more frequently in Tampere, with three per cent of the respondents having been victims of attacks. However, physical harassment of other passengers was seen most in the Greater Helsinki area and Turku with 14 per cent of all respondents having witnessed such incidents.
      Apparently, the perception of security on public transport is associated with the size of the city.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Fear of violence increases on regional transport in Helsinki area (16.12.2005)

Links:
  Ministry of Transport and Communications

Helsingin Sanomat