BURY councillors have called for more conductors on trams to tackle fare evasion and anti-social behaviour.

The council’s chief executive will write to Transport for Greater Manchester requesting the introduction of conductors on the Bury to Manchester line as a pilot scheme.

This comes after it was revealed that one in eight journeys on the Metrolink are not paid for, according to council estimates.

The Lib Dems, who tabled the motion on Wednesday night, also said that 62 per cent residents they surveyed in Prestwich earlier this year were concerned for their safety while travelling on the trams.

Cllr Michael Powell, who put forward the proposal, told the chamber that there were 3,481 incidents of anti-social behaviour and violence on the Metrolink network in the last year.

The newly-elected councillor said that the introducing conductors would be a “simple and cost-effective solution” to the two “long-standing problems” on the tram network.

He said: “The presence of conductors will help ensure the safety of passengers. We believe these increases, and some other high-profile incidents recently, have contributed to members of the community sometimes feeling a little unsafe when using the tram and I think this is particularly the case on night services.”

The proposal gained support from all parties in the council chambers, with Conservative councillor Dorothy Gunther saying that no “right-minded” person could vote against it.

Radcliffe First councillor Mike Smith, who spoke at his first council meeting after winning a by-election in August, also supported the move.

He told councillors that there have been “numerous” reports of assaults and intimidation on the trams and around Metrolink stations in his ward of Radcliffe West.

He said: “As a public transport system, the Metrolink needs to command the support of the public at large. As such, the reassuring presence of conductor on the tram system would be welcome, I’m sure, for many.

“Safety for the most vulnerable amongst us should be a priority. Most of our young or elderly residents use this system as a lifeline to travel around the borough and the perceived lack of security will be off putting for many.”

Cllr Powell ward councillor argued that the proposal is affordable because more tram conductors would mean an increase in ticket revenue.

However, cabinet member for environment, Cllr Alan Quinn, told his colleagues that Metrolink does not believe it would recover the cost of employing hundreds of conductors by reducing fare evasion.

He said: “If we’re not going to get it back in fare evasion then that could come in higher fares.”

Labour supported the motion despite Cllr Quinn saying the move may not be as simple as the Lib Dems have suggested.

The motion was carried meaning that the chief executive of Bury Council will write to the chief executive of Transport for Greater Manchester outlining the local authority’s position.

TfGM Head of Metrolink, Danny Vaughan, said: “TfGM takes anti-social behaviour and fare evasion very seriously and has worked closely with GMP, local authorities and KeolisAmey Metrolink through the TravelSafe partnership to tackle these issues together.

“KeolisAmey Metrolink introduced dedicated route teams earlier this year to gain valuable insight into the specific issues affecting each route and deploy staff to tackle these issues and deter offenders as required. TfGM will be evaluating this new approach to assess if it has been successful in reducing incidents of anti-social behaviour and fare evasion.

“We are also working closely with GMP on the introduction of a new and dedicated transport unit - due to launch later in the year - that will see more than 60 police officers replace existing Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).”

KeolisAmey Metrolink is a joint venture which operates the tram network in Greater Manchester.