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Nearly one in five passengers has witnessed a verbal attack on public transport staff by other travellers in the last five years, a survey suggests.

Security firm G4S also found that of the 2,004 people it polled, 2% had seen a physical assault in that time.

The survey also found 20% had witnessed other passengers dodging fares.

Steven Taylor of G4S, formerly known as Group 4 Securicor, said staff were bearing the brunt of passengers' anger when services failed.

Such abusive behaviour was "completely unacceptable", he added.

"While travelling can be tense and stressful at times, we are calling on the public to treat all ticket inspectors, guards, conductors and drivers with courtesy and respect."

Zero tolerance

Bob Crow, leader of the RMT union, said its members ran a daily risk of abuse and assault.

"Too many members of the public see front-line transport staff as a convenient punch bag to take their anger out on, and too many employers do little or nothing to address the issue," he said.

"At the heart of this surge in violence on the transport system are cuts in the numbers of staff in public areas and the drive to single-person operation."

He called for more front-line workers, better equipment and safety measures and a zero tolerance approach from the police and the courts.

G4S's rail and maritime section employs around 700 staff and contractors to help provide station and train security, mainly helping transport police deal with fare-dodging.

The firm said its workers did not currently have accreditation to intervene directly in cases of physical and verbal abuse but worked with British Transport Police (BTP) to deal with incidents.