Gillian Morán Pérez is an assistant producer for LAist 89.3.
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Currently, Metro’s buses have operator shields, but anyone can still reach around and make contact with the bus driver.Metro reports that assaults on operators have increased since 2019. In 2023, there were 160 assaults on bus operators. In aMetro noted two recent incidents where in March, a rider hijacked a bus and held the driver at gunpoint, crashing the bus into the Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. And earlier this month, a bus driver was stabbed in Willowbrook.
“I mean you look at the news every day,” said Ellis in response to seeing a rise in assaults on transit workers. “It's going up, up and up. Something had to be done,”Metro plans to first install the enclosed barriers on buses that have experienced the most operator assaults within the past year. Ellis says those lists of buses still need to be finalized before moving forward.
"Until we completely reverse security reality on our system, I'm concerned that we will never come back." said Barger. She cites that the agency has been plagued with violence, drug sales and overdoses and other issues.
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