Over 1,000 complaints made about anti-social behaviour on Luas services last year

Operator says passenger journeys increased by 13.5 million to 33 million in 2022 as Covid-19 restrictions eased

More than 1,000 complaints were made last year about anti-social behaviour on Luas services, the second-highest annual total in the past decade.

Figures published by the National Transport Authority (NTA) show 1,001 such reports were made to the Luas Call Centre, up 27 per cent on 2021.

Prior to the pandemic the number of reports averaged out at around 400 before peaking at some 1,200 in 2020.

Luas operator Transdev acknowledged the increase, which it said reflected the significant increase in passenger numbers as well as increased customer awareness about reporting anti-social behaviour they witnessed.

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There were more than 33 million passenger journeys on Luas services last year – up from 19.5 million in 2021 as Covid-19 restrictions eased.

Complaints about problems with ticket vending machines at Luas stops as well as ticket validators increased by 7 per cent to 2,100 and complaints about disruption to services increased by 23 per cent to 1,065.

The figures show there has been a decrease in the number of complaints about overcrowding on Luas trams, clamping of vehicles at park and ride facilities and alleged personal injuries suffered by passengers.

A total of 50 people claimed they incurred an injury while travelling on a Luas tram last year – less than half pre-Covid levels.

Transdev did not provide a breakdown of various types of complaints between Red and Green Line services.

The company said the satisfaction rate with Luas services earlier this year was recorded at 95 per cent, with customers commenting on the punctuality, frequency and reliability of its services. Performance reports filed to the NTA show overall reliability of Luas operations last year was measured at 93.5 per cent - with a rate of 96.3 per cent for Green Line services and 90.7 per cent for Red Line services.