Attacks On CTA Bus Drivers By Passengers Increasing: Union

CHICAGO — Assaults on CTA bus drivers by passengers — ranging from being spat upon to incidents that require medical attention — are increasing, the union representing those workers told the Chicago Tribune. Although serious attacks have remained relatively static over the years, the bus operator and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241 are trying to take steps to better protect the approximately 4,000 drivers who work in Chicago, the report added.

Last fall, the union began tracking less-severe incidents alongside serious cases that sent bus drivers to the hospital, the report stated. Not surprisingly, it found that overall assaults spiked during warm-weather months, averaging 16.3 attacks a month between March and August compared to 8.6 attacks a month from October to February, the report added.

Local 241 President Keith Hill points to substandard barriers on buses — or a lack of barriers in some cases — as being insufficient shields for drivers from potentially hostile passengers, the report stated. He and the union support fully enclosed driver areas for better protection, the report added.

Improved training for drivers when it comes to handling volatile situations, harsher criminal penalties stemming from attacks and allowing the CTA to ban passengers are other union recommendations, the report stated. In fact, the local union's national arm is currently backing a congressional bill that would give those proposals legal teeth.

CTA, however, has its own ideas when it comes to protecting its employees. Wiring buses with additional security cameras, screens and lighting to create a deterrent for bad and violent passenger behavior, according to the Tribune.

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