Within a few days of each other, in about a week, three people were violently attacked in Los Angeles Metro trucks, two of them were drivers.
The most recent attack occurred at Fifth Street and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica when a man kicked in the door and attacked the driver.
A second, even more serious incident occurred when another driver was beaten and stabbed in Willowbrook, an unincorporated community in Los Angeles.
A third incident occurred when two passengers became involved in an argument that turned into a fight that led to one of them stabbing the other.
Among the safety measures that the Metro truck drivers union is demanding to protect its drivers are:
- Complete bulletproof enclosures for drivers
- Armed security officers
- Felony charges with long prison sentences for anyone who attacks a Metro driver
- Silent alarms to alert police of an incident or shooter.
Faced with these events, the Metro responded with a comment in which they assure that they are doing everything in their power to protect employees and passengers.
“We know that the national drug abuse epidemic and mental illness crises fuel these attacks on transportation at the federal level.”
They said that while Metro funds social services teams to help the homeless and people in crisis over mental health or substance use issues connect with the resources they need, its county and city partners must do more. to address these important social problems that extend to public transportation.
“Many of the union’s requests to improve operator safety are already in place or planned to be implemented.”
They said there are more than 80 people dedicated to riding the buses each day, including transit safety officers, law enforcement partners and ambassadors.
“We will see further expansion of these teams in the coming months and have requested approval for additional staff to travel by bus in the fiscal year 2025 budget.”
When it comes to protections for bus drivers, Metro developed two prototypes with input from more than 2,500 bus operators to select the one they preferred.
“The prototype was tested by operators who gave feedback on the material used to ensure it had the lowest gloss. The Metro has obtained a new material and is currently testing the durability of the material. “This should be completed in the next two to four weeks.”
According to statements made by Metro spokespersons to other media, crime in the public transportation system has decreased 18% year over year.
Francisca Beltrán, who does not have a car so she uses public transportation every day to get to work in different places in Los Angeles County, said that she does not travel with fear but with great caution.
“One of the measures he took to protect me is to sit near the exits; and another is to put my backpack on the seat next to keep distance and so that no one sits next to me; I only give it to people who I see do not represent a danger and are in need,” he said.
But he commented that when a person who doesn’t like him insists on sitting next to him, he said he prefers to get up and give him both seats, rather than go next to someone with whom he doesn’t feel confident.
But she also said she uses her intuition a lot and doesn’t sit in areas where she isn’t comfortable, or walks away when she isn’t.
“I also try not to make contact or exchange comments or glances with people who may be negative, or who are not of their mental faculties, or who are trying to get my attention.”
Beltrán noted that on some occasions, he has seen the driver argue and fight with a passenger who is very irascible or does things that they should not, such as listening to music at a very high volume.
“Last time I saw a driver who started arguing with a passenger whom he scolded. The two did not stop arguing, and the driver asked him to get off, and the passenger did not want to, and they argued all the way until the man got off.”
He added that drivers should avoid arguments. “It is better to let these incidents go by than to expose yourself to a violent reaction for wanting to be right, even when the driver is aware of the truth.”
He also regretted that the government does nothing to improve the situation of people with mental health problems who travel on public transport.