Metro’s more than 2,000 bus fleets have been fitted with safety measures to protect drivers following a series of violent attacks on public transport, prompting emergency measures to add equipment in early 2024. The fence has been completely renovated.
Metro began the barrier installation project in 2022 and retrofitted a small number of buses in 2023. After a bus driver was stabbed to death in April, transit authorities hastened plans to cover most of the 2,017 buses with protective reinforced glass to keep drivers out of harm’s way. This will make it the first public transportation facility in the country.
Other areas, including Orange and San Mateo counties, have taken similar steps to erect protective barriers due to an increase in assaults on transit workers, and the U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a warning to transit agencies nationwide to He directed that protections for front-line workers be strengthened.
Metro’s state of emergency allowed the department to circumvent policy amid supply chain issues and quickly purchase materials. Maya Pogoda, Metro’s senior manager of communications, said that without the declaration, the process could have taken up to three years to complete, given the amount of glass the authority needed to obtain. said.
Installation on the final bus was completed on Monday. This barrier is constructed of steel and laminated low-reflection shatterproof glass and is intended to protect the driver from physical attacks such as punches or thrown objects. The agency used 55,000 square feet of glass.
“From April to September of this year, drivers were 58 percent less likely to be assaulted on buses with fully enclosed barriers. There was also a significant reduction in spitting incidents,” Metro said. said in a statement.
Overall crimes reported against riders and staff across Metro’s system are down this year compared to last year, according to the department’s latest report for September. However, when it comes to buses, recent data shows that the number of such crimes has increased by more than 12% since last year, largely due to a sharp increase in reports of assaults, murders and assaults against transit operators. In May, bus drivers held a drunken rally to protest a spate of attacks on bus companies.
Subway leaders announced in September that they would make safety improvements after the second busjacking in six months and the fifth murder this year raised concerns among riders and city officials. repeated his promise.
“This is just the latest in a series of measures Metro is taking to improve safety for operators and passengers,” Pogoda said of the barrier installation.
Metro has also launched a weapons detection pilot program that uses scanners on subway platforms that rely on AI technology to detect hidden firearms.
The agency is offering free bus and train rides from New Year’s Eve until 3 a.m. Jan. 1, and its bus system provided more than 222.7 million rides in the first 11 months of 2024. said.
