Metro Board Approves Emergency Designation To Speed Up Installment Of Enclosed Barriers On Buses

Metro is ramping up protections for bus operators in response to a series of assaults on bus drivers.

Metro's board of directors approved the agency's use of an emergency procurement designation to allow Metro to quickly retrofit their bus fleets to install barriers made out of shatterproof, tempered glass that will fully enclose drivers, according to Metro spokesperson Patrick Chandler.

Chandler says the emergency procurement designation will allow Metro to install these new barriers by the end of 2024 instead of over the course of three years through the normal procurement process.

Currently, Metro’s buses have operator shields, but anyone can still reach around and make contact with the bus driver.

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A side by side photo comparing options of the enclosed barriers to be added to L.A.'s Metro buses.

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Courtesy Metro

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Metro related assaults on the rise

Metro reports that assaults on operators have nearly doubled since 2019. In 2023, there were 160 assaults on bus operators, whereas in 2019, there were 92 assaults on bus operators.

In a report, Metro 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.

And on Saturday, an argument between three people on a Metro bus in University Park on Figueroa Boulevard led to a stabbing outside the bus. One person was injured. Last week, a woman was stabbed and killed while she exited a Metro train at the Universal City/Studio City station.

John Ellis serves as a representative for six local chapters under the SMART-TD (Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail, Transportation) Union that accounts for over 5,000 bus and rail operators who work for the MTA.

“I mean, you look at the news every day,” said Ellis in response to the rise in assaults on transit workers. “It's going up, up and up. Something had to be done."

Additional data shows that there is a nationwide trend of an increase in assaults on transit vehicles or bus operators. The National Transit Database reports that on average from 2008 to 2021, there were 192 assaults on transit vehicles. And further analysis from the Urban Institute reveals that major assaults on transit workers nearly tripled from 2008 to 2022. 

What's next

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 still need to be finalized before moving forward.

The cost to install the barriers is more than $5 million, and the agency aims to have all of its buses retrofitted by the end of the year.

Metro's executive board also agreed to explore additional safety measures at stations, including more security cameras, the use of facial recognition technology and fare gates.

Kathryn Barger, an L.A. County Supervisor and Metro board member, said that although ridership levels have increased since the pandemic, safety remains the number one concern among riders, employees and staff.

"Until we completely reverse security reality on our system, I'm concerned that we will never come back," Barger said. She added that the agency has been plagued with violence, drug sales and overdoses and other issues.

"There is no acceptable reality in which those solely relying on our system should have to endure this level of fear and indecency," she said.

Conan Cheung, chief operations officer at Metro, said riders will notice an increase in enforcement along some bus routes.

"LAPD is increasing their presence on their B&D lines and we'll also have an increased presence on the trains of transit security officers and ambassadors," Cheung said Monday on LAist's AirTalk. Cheung added that the A Line will also see increased enforcement from Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and Long Beach Police Department.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Metro declared a public emergency on Thursday, when in fact the Board approved the agency's use of emergency procurement designation to allow for faster installment of the new barriers that will fully enclose drivers. We apologize for the error.