City bus drivers held a rally Monday to denounce violence against them and the lack of safety on the job.
At the rally, held outside the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) Downtown Brooklyn headquarters, bus drivers shared their stories of being assaulted on the job. The bus drivers and their union representatives are demanding the MTA do more when it comes to safety.
Transit workers called on the MTA to create an ad campaign featuring the value of bus operators in addition to installing more safety shields on buses. Of the 1,500 buses on Brooklyn streets, only 200 have the partitions.
Bus drivers also called on the MTA to institute a program that would offer a reward to straphangers who help any transit worker in distress.
MTA officials said they are working closely with the NYPD to figure out how bus driver attackers can be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent. Officials also said they are hoping to implement a transit watch program very soon.2 Brooklyn bus drivers recovering after separate attacks2 Brooklyn bus drivers attacked within minutes of each other