New York City bus driver Monique Rondon was maliciously spat on by a passenger in 2012, with the saliva covering her uniform and face. After the incident, Rondon considered resigning and took 19 months off to recover, undergoing rehabilitation and psychological counseling.

For Rondon, who has worked at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) since 1999, this was not her first assault. In fact, it was the fourth: she had been attacked for asking a passenger to move a stroller from the aisle; assaulted by a man posing as an MTA employee; and had hot coffee thrown on her for accidentally missing a stop.

Rondon also serves as a shop steward for Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 in New York City. She says the constant threat of physical and verbal attacks makes many drivers afraid to come to work.

"We can hardly do anything," Rondon said. "You either swallow your pride or try to fight back. But I know I don't want to lose my life, so I won't fight back. I don't want to lose my life because I want to go home safely to my family. If getting hit is unavoidable, then I just have to endure it."

Rondon's experience is not unique. Reports from across the country paint a grim picture of assaults against transit workers, includingrobberies, beingrepeatedly stabbed with pens, or attacked forinterveningto break up fights between two passengers. Additionally, assaults have occurred when drivers confronted passengers attempting tofare evade.

Some attacks have even ended in tragedy. In 2019, Tampa, Florida bus driver Thomas Dunn was slashed in the throat by passenger Justin McGriff, who was ultimatelyfoundincompetent to stand trial. Before being killed, Dunn pulled the bus over to protect other passengers and road users.

"This is a huge problem, and it's growing," said Greg Regan, financial secretary of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO. "I don't know what's fueling it. But directing anger or frustration at people who are doing their jobs and operating the transit system is completely unacceptable."

Rondon attributes the series of attacks to social factors, including a lack of mental health treatment resources for troubled passengers and social services not being effectively implemented.

"It's gotten to the point where many drivers won't even say 'good morning.'"

— Monique Rondon, MTA bus driver, New York City

"I can tell you, there are a lot of mentally ill people in society," she said. "Many can't afford medication, or are denied it. There are also a lot of angry people... but we often become the targets. We're like sitting ducks."

John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) of America, says local agencies and governments share some blame because public transit has been underfunded for years and overly reliant on fare revenue to operate.

"The delivery of public transit service in the U.S., both in terms of quality and quantity, has been declining," Samuelsen said. "This leads to frustration among the ridership. The bus driver in uniform becomes the target."

Union leaders say this tense atmosphere has led some employees to want to leave frontline positions to avoid personal risk. John Costa, international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), says he has even seen "grown men crying and asking to get off the bus, to be assigned to any other position or maintenance job" because the threats they face are too great.

Rondon points out that customer service also suffers because drivers are afraid to interact with passengers for fear of being attacked.

"They don't want to talk, they just want to drive and go home, and they hope to get home safely," she said. "This is a huge problem because I think you can't provide good service if you don't say a word. It's gotten to the point where many drivers won't even say 'good morning.'"

Attacks during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have exacerbated the risk of attacks on bus drivers, especially regarding mask enforcement. Many transit agencies, followingPresident Biden's executive order, required passengers to wear masks. While most complied, there were exceptions—and those trying to enforce the rules often faced serious consequences.

In July 2020, a bus driver in Lubbock, Texas, was beaten with a wooden block andleft bleeding and injuredafter asking a passenger to wear a mask. Meanwhile, an MTA bus driver had hot coffee thrown on them after making a similar request(story reported). In San Francisco, a bus driver claimed that he and Asian passengers were subjected toracist insults and threats of violence。

for reminding others to wear masks.

"Imagine the pressure on bus drivers," Samuelsen said. "They were already in a vulnerable position for attacks, then COVID hit, and they get on the bus in the morning not knowing if they'll catch the virus. Then passengers board... drivers are sometimes asked to remove someone not wearing a mask, and that person flies into a rage because they don't care about anyone but themselves."

Samuelsen says drivers have had to walk a "tightrope" throughout the pandemic.

Ismael Rivera, a member of ATU Local 1596 and a driver for Lynx transit in Orlando, Florida, testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee about the risk of drivers contracting the virus, having to act as "mask police" for passengers, and the difficulty of enforcing social distancing due to limited space on buses.

Rivera detailed some solutions to reduce driver conflicts, including rear-door boarding and fare-free service. Some agencies have also installed polycarbonate or plexiglass shields that protect drivers from both droplet transmission and assaults. Rivera shared an example: in May 2020, a man shot at a St. Louis MetroBus driver after being asked to wear a mask, but the driver survived thanks to the shield. However, Rivera noted that some transit agencies have relaxed these protective measures, "leaving us exposed to the virus and angry crowds."

ATU's Costa says another solution is redesigning buses with models similar to those in Europe—featuring sturdy driver compartments controlled by buttons—though he acknowledges cost could be a barrier.

"Half the industry needs to consider new designs, and that design already exists," Costa said. "I don't know what the problem is in the U.S., why we can't adapt or manufacture it. Is everything about money and profit, and they don't want to spend more on equipment?"

Seeking mediation through legislationFor years, lawmakers have tried to curb the assault problem. In 2019, Democratic Rep. Grace Napolitano, Republican Rep. John Katko, and Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollenjointly introducedthe bipartisan Transit Employee and Pedestrian Protection Act, which has received support from TTDand

other labor organizations.

The legislation would give transit agencies two years to develop a Transit Operations Safety Risk Reduction Program and a Rail Operations Employee Assault Risk Reduction Program, overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). It would provide $25 million annually for five years to fund these programs, as well as de-escalation training for drivers and installation of assault barriers.The bill also requires agencies to report all assaults on transit workers to USDOT'sNational Transit Database

(NTD)—a database typically used to track agencies' financial health, accidents, and medical issues.The Senate bill was discussed at ahearing

last year before the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, while the House bill did not receive debate. The bill would need to be reintroduced in the new Congress; spokespeople for Napolitano and Van Hollen did not respond to requests for comment on whether it would be reintroduced.President Biden expressed support for the legislation at atown hall

with ATU members last year, pledging to "work hard" to push it through.

"Drivers are sometimes asked to remove someone not wearing a mask, and that person flies into a rage because they don't care about anyone but themselves."

— John Samuelsen, President, Transport Workers Union of AmericaAlso in 2019, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued aFederal Register notice

in May reminding transit agencies to address the risk of bus driver assaults under the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) regulation included in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

The FTA tasked agencies with this after considering "differences in operating environments" and other factors. However, TTD's Regan says success cannot be achieved without federal leadership.

"As with many things, federal leadership is crucial because you need a baseline standard and enforceable requirements," Regan said. "For issues like this, you need leadership to truly meet the need and implement safety protocols across agencies."The Biden administration appears to prioritize driver protection. At hisconfirmation hearing

for Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg expressed willingness to protect transit workers, both from COVID-19 threats and other incidents.But while waiting for federal action, states may also need to act. In New Jersey, lawmakers are currently considering theNew Jersey Transit Rider Bill of Rights, which has beenreferred

to the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee.

Among other provisions aimed at improving state-run NJ Transit service, the legislation would require the agency to provide appropriate safety equipment and training to protect drivers and passengers.

"We've seen an increase in assaults on bus and train operators, some stemming from passenger frustration," said Assemblyman Daniel Benson, a sponsor of the bill. "But I also think it's related to the times we live in, so we must do more to provide training and support for transit employees so they always feel safe."