Bus driver Keith Rollinson’s life might have been saved had his employer stepped up security following previous incidents, it was claimed today.
Elgin community campaigners have criticised bus firm Stagecoach bosses for shunning their meetings before and after Keith Rollinson was killed earlier this year.
They also spoke of their disappointment that amid their repeated calls for better safety, Stagecoach has axed its Elgin manager.
The new boss is based 40 miles away and is responsible for a much wider area around the Highlands and Moray.
‘Maybe death wouldn’t have happened’
Elgin Community Council (ECC) member David Chapman said: “There had been a few incidents before this tragic death that Stagecoach could have reacted to and improved safety. If they had done that, maybe the death wouldn’t have happened.”
ECC’s chairman Alastair Kennedy added: “It’s extremely disappointing that they haven’t sent anyone to our meetings – especially as their manager is no longer based in Moray.”
We put all the claims and concerns raised in this article to Stagecoach bosses, who did not address them directly but said they were committed to ensuring a safe environment,
Mr Rollinson, an RAF veteran, was working for Stagecoach on Friday February 1 when there was an altercation with a 15-year-old boy at Elgin Bus Station.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, attacked the 58-year-old, who then died in the earlier hours of February 2.
Stagecoach no-shows at meetings
Mr Rollinson leaves wife Susan and daughters Abigail and Sophie – and his death shocked Moray.
Hundreds of people turned out for his funeral and many more rallied round the family, raising more than £40,000 in Mr Rollinson’s memory.
At the High Court in Edinburgh today, the boy admitted Mr Rollinson’s culpable homicide and will be sentenced next month.
Since February, ECC volunteers have vowed to discuss Stagecoach matters at each of their monthly meetings.
They email Stagecoach each month to invite them – but nobody from the company has attended for at least a year.
According to meeting minutes, the last time Stagecoach even provided information to ECC was September 2023 – five months before Mr Rollinson’s death.
We asked Stagecoach why this is and they did not answer the question.
We revealed full scale of bus station issues
The first meeting after Mr Rollinson’s death was on March 12 but Stagecoach didn’t send a representative.
That was despite the Press and Journal revealing the full scale of crime and anti-social behaviour taking place at Elgin Bus station.
Our investigation revealed police were attending reports of incidents including assault, public nuisance or disturbance at the bus station every five days on average.
And police calls to the bus station rose shot up from 23 in 2021 to 65 in 2023.
‘A fraction of them are dangerous’
The discussion from March’s ECC meeting reflected that worrying upward trend of disturbances.
The meeting minutes read: “Anti-social behaviour is still very bad, with the weekends still being worse.
“A small group is causing issues with a fraction of them being dangerous.
“Issues have been raised with the police and council respectively.”
Stagecoach were again invited to the April and May ECC meetings, but failed to show up.
The firm didn’t send anyone to the June meeting either and members learned that it was in the process of axing staff.
We asked Stagecoach about this and they again chose not to address it.
In July, ECC tasked Mr Chapman with contacting Stagecoach to ask if they would attend.
Company was making redundancies
Mr Chapman told us: “It used to be the case that they would send someone.
“We would invite them and either someone would come or, if they couldn’t make it, I would offer to brief them either before or after a meeting, so at least we would have a dialogue.
“In the summer I went to the depot and asked if someone could come along to our meetings to discuss security around the bus station and services.
“And it was around that point in time that the company was sadly making redundancies.
“We subsequently found out the Moray manager was no longer in post and the nearest manager is based in Inverness.”
Manager is now based 40 miles away
Mr Kennedy said: “All this would be bad enough at any stage – but particularly following Mr Rollinson’s tragic death.
“You would have thought Stagecoach would want to show the public that they care about the safety of their drivers and members of the public and that sending someone to a monthly meeting for an hour wouldn’t be too much hassle.
“But now, their manager no longer has local knowledge and is also based an 80-mile round journey away, so it’s unlikely they will attend our meetings in the evening in Elgin.
Mr Kennedy said it is important Stagecoach sends someone to the meetings so any security issues can be shared.
At an ECC meeting in July 2023 – in which a Stagecoach representative did attend – it was revealed that the bus firm was considering introducing plain-clothes security staff on buses.
This was partly in response to a group of teenagers assaulting a bus driver in Dufftown in August 2022.
Another person there said she was the late controller at the bus station.
‘I’ve been able to calm them down’
She told the meeting; “We have been dealing with groups of 20-30 youths (at Elgin Bus Station), but have identified the two or three troublemakers.
“I have been trying to interact to be able to calm them down.”
A Moray Council spokeswoman said: “Moray Council continues to work with all partner organisations in the Moray Community Safety Partnership to reduce anti-social behaviour across the region.
“This includes initiatives with Police Scotland, education teams, community organisations and more.
Union published 15-point guide
“The council receives regular updates from the Partnership through relevant committees.”
In the wake of Mr Rollinson’s death, Unite the Union issued a list of 15 practical steps to improve driver safety.
They included ensuring all staff have been trained in de-escalation and all buses have working CCTV.
It is understood some of those measures have been put in place – but drivers feel they are not being supported by senior managers.
One driver, who asked not to be named, told us: “Obviously, after Keith died there was a big reaction and the managers wanted to focus on bolstering safety.
“But it’s kind of fallen flat and we have a big turnover of staff.
“Someone will leave over the summer and a new person will come in and they won’t know there is a problem with abuse from teenagers until they see it themselves.
“What we really want is our bosses to understand what it is we’re up against.
‘We’re committed to ensuring a safe environment’
“Most of the kids are quiet, friendly and polite. But it’s just a very vocal, very easily agitated minority that cause the problems.”
Chief Inspector Mike McKenzie, area commander for Moray, said: “Since Keith Rollinson’s death, we have been working closely with a range of partners to tackle youth disorder in Elgin, particularly around the bus station.
“This work will continue and are committed to working with partners to prevent and deter anti-social behaviour.”
A spokesperson for Stagecoach North Scotland said: “Throughout recent legal proceedings, our thoughts have been with the family and friends of our driver who sadly passed away, and we have worked closely with police throughout their investigation.
“We are committed to ensuring a safe environment for all our passengers and we recognise that incidents of antisocial behaviour at Elgin bus station have raised concerns within the community.
“In response, we have been actively working with the Community Safety Team at Moray Council to address issues and improve the overall experience for our customers and staff alike.
“One of the recent key initiatives has been the creation of a Bus Hub designed to engage with our local community effectively.
“This new concept aims to enhance community interaction and provide positive activities for young people, through regular discussions with the council, street pastor teams and local youth groups.”