Transport Minister Al-Wazir thanks Offenbach bus drivers
Hesse's Transport Minister Tarek Al-Wazir, RMV Division Manager Thomas Kern and Anja Georgi, Managing Director of the Stadtwerke Group's Mobility Division, met with Offenbach bus drivers on Friday to promote respect among passengers and between passengers and public transport employees.
"Every day in Hesse, thousands of commuters and travelers encounter each other in very confined spaces, especially on buses and trains. Some are pressed for time, others take a little longer to get on and off - each of us has probably been annoyed by someone else on the train. The important thing is that we treat each other with respect. And unfortunately, this is not always the case," said Transport Minister Tarek-Al-Wazir at the meeting with two bus drivers and a female bus driver at the depot of Offenbacher Verkehrsbetriebe (OVB), which is part of the Stadtwerke Offenbach Group's Geschäftsfeld Mobilität. "Bus drivers in particular are regularly confronted with this. That's why it's important to me to say thank you to them in the Year of Respect for the many disputes they have already settled."
Bus drivers often in a bumper situation
"2.5 million people travel on RMV buses and trains every day. Most of the 40,000 local transport employees in the RMV area are in direct contact as bus drivers, train drivers, train attendants or service staff. Our aim is to ensure that passengers and employees treat each other with respect," explains RMV division manager Thomas Kern.
"Bus drivers in particular often find themselves in the position of a buffer stop. Not only do they have to act as arbitrators between disputing passengers. They are also often held personally responsible for delays. Or passengers simply take their bad mood out on them," Anja Georgi gives examples. They often verbally attack and insult the staff.
OVB employees describe their experiences
For their part, the three OVB employees underlined the importance of respectful interaction in local public transport and thus the Hessen Lives Respect campaign by describing their own experiences. They all agreed that respect is the basis of daily interaction, and not just on buses and trains.