Police back right to safety on public transport
KUWAIT CITY, May 15: City Group, Kuwait's leading listed public transport company and operators of Citybus, Sunday spoke out against violence on Kuwait's buses. Richard Woods, Group Chief Executive Officer, City Group, was commenting following a small number of recent incidents in which passengers and drivers have been abused and physically assaulted on the company's buses.
Woods said: "Citybus is Kuwait's leading private public transport service and we are fully committed to ensuring the well-being of our passengers and our drivers. Each year we safely and reliably carry millions of passengers to their destinations, but recently there have been a small number of incidents where passengers and staff members have suffered acts of unprovoked violence from members of the public.
"In one incident one of our drivers was assaulted, beaten unconscious and had to be hospitalised to allow him to recover from his injuries. Fortunately, the driver is expected to make a full recovery and his assailant, thanks to excellent detective work from officers from the Rumaithiya Police station, is now in jail awaiting a court appearance on charges of assault and grievous bodily harm.
"We have also had an incident where a passenger was injured from an object thrown at the bus he was travelling on and had to be taken to hospital, and most recently a driver was physically assaulted and his bus, which was empty at the time, hijacked.
"Although these instances are extremely rare, they are deplorable and completely inexcusable. Our drivers and our passengers have a right to work and travel in safety and we liaise very closely with Kuwait's police force to ensure this happens. As part of this, all Citybus buses are fitted with video surveillance and recording systems, which can and will be used in court as evidence against offenders.
"Citybus is committed to providing Kuwait with a high-quality, reliable, cost effective and safe public transport network. The security of our staff and passengers is paramount and I want to make it clear that where there are instances of violence to either staff or passengers, we will not hesitate to prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of Kuwait's law, without exception."
City Group Company KSC (CGC) is a public shareholding company listed on Kuwait Stock Exchange with a paid up capital of KD11.3 million. The main focus of CGC's operation is the provision of public transportation services through its Citybus division, which commenced operations in 2002 and has developed into Kuwait's leading listed public transportation operator.
Citybus, City Group's wholly owned bus operator in Kuwait, presently operates 400 buses across 19 routes in Kuwait and Kuwait City.
© Arab Times 2011
