LA public transit riders are concerned about safety on buses and trains

After a violent and brutal attack on a Dash bus operator in LA on Sunday, as well as a series of other attacks on Metro buses and trains, some riders who spoke to KTLA said safety concerns for the city and county’s public transit systems are top of mind.

Yesterday’s attack, which was caught on video, reportedly occurred after the Dash driver refused to let a homeless woman onto the bus.

As of March 2020, Dash buses operated by the LA Department of Transportation are free to ride.

Footage of the incident obtained by KTLA showed the violent struggle between the bus driver and the homeless woman, who was able to drag the driver, who was behind a plexiglass barrier, off the bus and onto the sidewalk.

The driver fought back as the homeless woman continued the violent attack, putting on the bus driver’s uniform and delivering at least one punch to her face, video showed.

After several heated minutes of the violent argument, the bus driver managed to get back into her vehicle and lock the homeless woman out before driving off.

Dash passenger Sandra Pizano told KTLA she hasn’t had any problems with city bus service, but is cautious when riding Metro buses and trains operated by the county’s Metropolitan Transit Authority.

“I would rate them a D,” Pizano said of Metro. “I know they’re trying, but something’s not working.”

On May 3, dozens of subway operators demonstrated over ongoing safety concerns following a series of violent and even fatal attacks on bus and train drivers and passengers.

On April 22, a subway passenger was stabbed on her way home from work in Studio City. Authorities said her attacker was a transient.

Earlier this month, a bus driver was stabbed by a passenger in Willowbrook, and in March, a transient armed with an airsoft gun hijacked a Metro bus and crashed into the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Los Angeles.

Last week, an LA Metro board member said she wouldn’t ride the bus alone because she was concerned about her personal safety.

“Bus riders, subway riders, they’re under attack,” Earl Hutchinson, president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff.

Hutchinson’s organization is now calling for mobile security teams on the city’s public transportation.

“This would not only provide a level of security but also give drivers and train operators a feeling that we are protected,” he added.

A Metro spokesperson told KTLA that many of these unprovoked attacks are part of the “twin crises” of untreated mental illness and drug addiction. In a statement, Metro further said:

“Public transport security officers are now on the top 10 bus routes with higher incidents of assaults on bus operators, and we are working on longer-term plans to recruit even more dedicated public transport security bus driving teams.”

Bus driver Laura Ismael told KTLA she hopes these measures produce results quickly.

“The bus drivers need protection just as much as the passengers,” she said. “Someone has to do something about it, and soon, before it gets worse.”

The woman in Sunday’s attack in South LA has been arrested, but it is unclear what charges she will face.

KTLA reached out to the Dash drivers union to see if she suffered any injuries and is awaiting a response.