EXCLUSIVE: King’s Cross worst tube station for TfL staff abuse
King’s Cross was crowned the worst tube station for staff abuse, with 140 incidences of abuse against its workers.
The station was followed by Victoria with 137 instances of abuse and Notting Hill Gate with 113.
Data requested through a FOI by workforce management firm WorkForce Software reported that between April 2020 and December 2021, Transport for London (TfL) staff working at London tube stations was victim of 245 abuses per month.
According to figures, transport workers faced 161 verbal assaults, 58 threats and 24 physical assaults per month during the period.
The most common cause for assault was fare evasion and revenue dispute, with 2,448 incidences of abuse in the 18-month period.
“Sadly, abuse is a daily risk for many frontline workers,” said WorkForce Software’s senior vice president EMEA Steve Tonks.
“While TfL will increase fines for fare evasion by 25 per cent, this is unlikely to minimise the incidences of abuse towards staff that are linked to fare evasion and revenue dispute.
“With the UK currently facing ‘the most difficult economic year of our lifetime,’ now is the time for employers to invest in the safety of their frontline workers.”
Commenting on the results, head of transport policing and community safety Mandy McGregor said: “We have been working closely with our unions on a number of commitments to reduce risk to our frontline colleagues and customers and we have sought regular feedback and input from them to shape our work-related violence strategy.
“We have also increased the size of the London Underground Revenue team to tackle fare evasion, which is often a trigger for violence and aggression towards staff. We work extremely closely with the police to prevent assaults on our network and ensure offenders are brought to justice.”