NCJ Number
78255
Date Published
1980
Length
8 pages
Annotation
In this small-scale British research project, a study is made of how opportunities for vandalism on buses might be mediated by driver and conductor supervision of passengers.
Abstract
The sample of 99 buses was chosen from the 2 garages which service the Southern Area of the Central Divisions of Greater Manchester Transport. A 25-percent random sample was taken, stratifying for the four main types of double deck bus: one-man operated, dual purpose, front-entrance conventional, and rear-entrance conventional. Three different types of damage were analyzed: holes, tears, and writings. Two main findings emerged: (1) damage was greatest on buses without a conductor, even though these were the newest of the buses studied, and (2) on all buses, including those with conductors, damage was greatest in areas of low supervision (especially the upper deck and the back seat). The findings suggest that bus companies should take into account the possible effects of their policies on the prevention of vandalism when considering the design and manning of buses. However, given the companies' policy of operating buses with a minimum of staff, other methods to reduce vandalism should be considered, such as the use of colored flat surfaces that do not show felt-tip writing and the use on nonflammable materials. Tabular data and footnotes are given.