LAST month's £50,000 arson on a 96 bus travelling from Bexleyheath to Bluewater put vandalism on public transport back in the news.

The bus owner, Stagecoach, says the route 96 experienced 62 serious criminal damage incidents in the past year.

To combat such problems, which cost bus companies more than £8m a year, they have got together with the Met Police and Transport for London to create Operation BusTag, which is designed to catch those who vandalise London's buses.

In its 20-month history, BusTag has achieved more than 700 arrests and it is hoping to catch many more vandals with the help of CCTV, News Shopper readers and our Shop A Yob campaign.

If you recognise any of the people in the CCTV pictures above, call Operation BusTag on 020 7027 8950 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The teenagers in pictures 5890A and B were only on a 96 Woolwich to Bluewater bus for three minutes but when they got off, its windows had been etched.

They travelled on the bus on May 5, getting on at 12.59pm in Wickham Lane, on the Welling/Plumstead borders, and got off again in the same street. Do you know them?

Graffiti was discovered scrawled on a 96 bus after the girl in picture 6493 got off.

She got on the Woolwich to Bluewater bus at Plumstead Corner at 6.03pm and got off again in Upper Wickham Lane, Welling, at 6.10pm.

Can you put a name to this face?

The two boys in pictures 6329A and B travelled on a Thamesmead to North Greenwich 472 bus on June 4 when the back of a seat was covered in graffiti.

They got on the bus in Thamesmead town centre at 2.37pm and got off at Plumstead railway station at 2.53pm. Call if you recognise them.