Buses targeted in bout of Halloween vandalism overnight
First Bus West of England have shared the images of the damage in Bristol and Wales - with 'at least two' incidents involving objects directly thrown at the driver
Last updated 1st Nov 2023
Moving buses and drivers in Bristol and Wales have been attacked overnight by what First West of England are calling a bout of Halloween vandalism.
The bus operator has revealed at least two incidents involved large objects being thrown directly at the driver.
No injures have yet been reported - however, the operator have called the actions 'despicable' and say all incidents have been reported to police.
The incidents have caused 'thousands of pounds' of damage - with a number of buses taken out of action today following the overnight incidents, which saw a 'handful' of services cancelled.
Rob Pymm, First Wales and West’s Commercial Director, said: “It is utterly disgraceful that our drivers and customers have faced this despicable behaviour from a minority of mindless vandals.
“The images we have seen of our buses from last night speak for themselves; who in their right mind would consider throwing a heavy object at a moving bus, let alone towards the driver, endangering them and everyone on board.
“Sadly, we had no option but to pull some routes last night, and today our passengers continue to be inconvenienced while the buses are off the road being repaired. All we can do is apologise and reassure the public that we will resume a normal service as soon as possible.”
In Bristol, both attacks took place on the company’s new service 70 cross-city route (Hengrove to the University of the West of England) near Melvin Square, and in Wales the service 111 (Llanelli to Swansea) was attacked in the Castle Street Loughor area near Swansea.
In another incident in Wales, the service 6 (Port Tennant to Swansea) route was disrupted when a member of the public dressed in a Halloween costume stood in front of a moving bus blocking the route.
Rob Pymm added: “We have reported the incidents to the police and we are reviewing our on-board CCTV, and we will do all we can with local communities and the police to help catch those responsible. We’re committed to protecting our drivers and customers, even if that means stopping services for safety reasons.”