Of course its impossible. What if someone pours a bottle of beer into an empty coke can then drinks it on a train or bus? Are they going to check every single drink?

jayil, london, uk

I thought we had a police force to enforce the law, not the unions or their members. Relieve the police of all the form filling and paperwork and let them do the job the taxpayer expects from them. Enforce the law and if alcohol is banned on public transport then stop it! Have we now anarchy?

john keating, romsey, uk

Of course left wing unions say that a right wing Conservatives attempts to protect the public are unenforceable. So are laws to stop commuters killing other commuters, only the police under a Government supporting Chief Commissioner of the Met, can shoot a commuter without risk of prosecution.

David May, Dronfield,

I seem to remember that the unions made Britain unworkable until a change in the law on voting for strike action. They claimed that wouldn't work, but they were wrong. As for enforcement, the cameras are already in place aren't they? What use are they if they can't be used for this?

KR, Stockport,

Lets just ban crime. lol

jayil, london, uk

Recently a train stopped helplessly at London Bridge as one passenger was abusing others. She was unstable rather than drunk. No official would eject her from the train for fear of an assault charge and she refused to leave voluntarily. What powers will there be to eject drinking passengers?

Chris, London,

Why can't it work here, it works in all other countries where I have travelled on public transport, especially the States, the notices need to be in each carriage and bus along with that note that says you will be fined for not having a ticket, while your at it, ban smelly burgers and other hot food

Anne, East London, England

Do it! I find the rise in commuters drinking on the train home in the evening rather disturbing, and I like a drink myself. There's a time and a place for everything, and a 30min train journey home is not the time or the place for a couple of tins of Wife Beater.

Simes, Sevenoaks,

The union members want to do as little work as posible while demanding pay rises and threatening strile. Bob Crow and his cronies would like to dangle threats. They had a godfather , Red Ken who feted them as he was 'one of them'

Gary, LONDON,

If Bob Crow and his ilk are against the idea of banning drinking on public transport, I fear that they are on the wrong bus, (or bandwagon).

Peter, Brixham, Devon

It's basically the same question as enforcing any law that some people want to disobey. Get the police in there and make arrests. A while in prison will do wonders (if any room can be found).

Tom Welsh, Basingstoke,

i have never got violent or agressive with anyone because I have had a drink whilst on the tube. yet another bit of our freedom being taken away from the general public

mike, nottingham, england

All of the constructive comments made by Bob Crowe could presumably be made about smoking on public transport.
Bans on matters such as this do not work because there's someone standing around to enforce them every time, but as a result of public acceptance that such behaviour is 'not tolerated'.

C. Nugent, London, UK

So what the unions say it's unworkable? Get on with it anyway we all want alcohol banned on the tube and hang the unions.

Food should be banned as well. Watching people wipe their hands on the seats after eating has to rank with public displays of flesh as truly repellent.

Robin, London,

A great idea, it's all too often those who are drunk causing the problems - if need be why can't uniformed police use the rail to get around their patrols, at least that way the burden wouldn't fall solely upon the rail staff to deal with.

Adam Chidgey, Woking, England

He is abandoning his publicised measures before the end of the week? This is promising... LOL

Rui, Lisbon, TheBankruptCity

I agree with Mike. They need to extent this ban to food and drink. The savings on cleaning will be enormous and they can put this money into providing extra security staff

Richard, Effingham, UK

The RMT is not noted for making rational comment on issues that affect it so this is merely another daft statement in a long history of daft statements.

Violence against their members caused by drink but they don't want it banned!!!

doug, Manchester,

Rely on a "cultural shift" and action by ordinary folk in order to fulfil your election promises, and it won't be long before they realise they can do it without you anyway.

Much of broader Conservative policy also seems to rely on faint hope for a spontaneous change in people's behaviour.

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

The unions will always disagree - its no longer their party running the show. Many parts of the UK are designated alcohol free, but public sector unions (for example) have not declared this a spurious policy. As an earlier correspondant has stated, the transport system is no smoking, and that works.

Ian, Ex London,

Wasn't it the Transport Union who funded Red Ken with quite a bit of their union funds! No wonder they are going to disagree with anything Boris says or does!

David, Nottingham, UK

Here in Athens no food or drink is allowed on the local Metro. Why cannot the same be implemented in London?

mike, Uk,

"Violence against our members is already a major problem, particularly from people who have been drinking"

Surely this is a major reason for the Union to support the ban and help find ways to implement this safely with Transport Police etc.

joe, Edinburgh, Scotland

Well, they managed it on our local transport system. No hot food either.

Tina, Dusseldorf, Germany

well they said that banning smoking was imposible 30 years ago but no one smokes on public transport now. give the idea a chance to catch on. it may take another 20 years but all change starts somewhere. Plus there are groups that WANT to see Boris fail because he is a tory.

Dr Kevin Law, Dundee, UK

Boris has got the idea, the answer to all crime is to ban it. That's fixed. Now on to to the next easy one.

Adrian, London,