'Spat upon, punched, kicked': bus drivers demand protection:

[Praxius]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...bus-abuse.html

Winnipeg Transit operators are joining a national petition for stiffer penalties for people who assault and abuse bus drivers. Jim Girden, executive vice-president of Winnipeg's Amalgamated Transit Union, says incidents of abuse have been on the rise in recent years. "Winnipeg Transit drivers are subjected to verbal, physical — OK, by physical we're talking about being spat upon, punched, kicked — and verbally being called names and invited outside, and a number of other items along that line," he told CBC News. Girden added that the vast majority of riders treat the drivers well. Winnipeg Transit supports the drivers in the campaign, he said. In 2002, a driver was attacked and bitten on the forearm by a passenger on a free Downtown Spirit transit bus. The attacker, subdued by another passenger until police arrived, was arrested and charged with assault. The driver was treated in hospital. In 2005, a wheelchair-bound woman demanded better security after a frightening episode. A drunk jumped behind the wheel of the bus after the driver went into an apartment building to get another handicapped passenger, the woman and her aide said. The aide was thrown from the vehicle as she struggled to get the keys from the ignition. The man drove the vehicle six blocks before taking the woman's purse and fleeing.

So how's the treatment of your transit drivers in the States in comparison? Do you feel more needs to be done for the protection of these people, or is it just a matter of a few isolated incidences and over reaction?

If it's valid, what do you think is best for their protection?

[Gods_Mercenary]

I don't really use the bus, but when I have I've never seen anything like this, not that I'd want to drive one in the wee hours, period.