Aggression Against Public Transport Workers on the Rise in Germany: Campaign Seeks More Respect

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  Charlotte Waajers

  journalist from Germany

Flower pots flying through the air, objects thrown against the counter window and a series of insults. Michaela works at the Deutsche Bahn service desk and has experienced it all. In Germany, public transport workers also suffer a lot from aggression and violence.

Michaela tells her story in a video that is part of the campaign Don’t forget: someone works here. German unions are trying to combat verbal and physical violence against ambulance workers, civil servants and public transport workers. That campaign started four years ago, but it is doubtful that it helped public transport.

Violence against train and bus workers remains a major problem in Germany, according to the EVG union. Since the start of the campaign, the number of events has increased further.

According to Deutsche Bahn (DB), this is partly due to the corona measures that were still in force at the time. In 2022, one in three incidents was related to enforcing the face mask requirement.

In addition, it was much busier in public transport. The 9-euro temporary ticket, which costs 9 euros per month it was possible to travel without limit by train, bus and metro, has led to a significant increase in the number of passengers. The measure was prompted by high fuel prices.

Last year there were more than 3,100 incidents, from swearing and spitting to physical violence. Although this is roughly the same as the previous year, it is still unacceptably high, according to the union.

One of the explanations in Germany points to the problems of DB: long delays, trains that have completely failed and bistros and toilets on the train that are not used due to the lack of staff. It regularly leads to great frustration.

However, DB spokeswoman Antje Wittig also points to a social development in which she believes that the threshold for being aggressive is getting lower and lower, including ambulance workers and servants civil

The fact that the corona measures no longer apply has not led to a reduction in the number of incidents. The transport company previously indicated that the number of passengers has increased again. There are also events where alcohol is consumed and football matches where the public is allowed, which cause problems more quickly.

And so the government and the union for public transport workers were forced to start a new campaign in November. With the hashtag #mehrAchtung they demand more respect for workers on trains, trams and buses. For example, stations now have posters with slogans like “A good place for railway politeness”.

A survey among employees revealed that DB employees are most concerned about violence, said DB spokesman Wittig. Just like in the Netherlands, an experiment was carried out in Germany with body cameras to combat this violence. According to the railway company, it was a great success. “None of the employees with a body camera have been assaulted or insulted yet,” Wittig said. “That’s why we’re expanding now.”

Last month, the railway company announced that the use of body cameras will be permanent, on a voluntary basis. At the moment, this only happens on regional trains, as two out of three reported cases involve violence against staff working there.

It is not yet clear how many body cameras are involved. “We also need to be able to offer the options for this. Our staff work in shifts and have to move the camera between themselves. That also takes time.”