Serious assaults on bus and rail operators have tripled in the past 15 years, causing operators to fear violence on the job, seek transfers off the frontlines or just quit — adding to operator shortages, according to a new report examining incidents at transit agencies across the country.
A study by the Urban Institute released earlier this month found major assaults rose from 168 in 2008 to 492 in 2022. The data was culled from the Federal Transit Administration’s National Transit Database. It’s important to note that the FTA data only included major assaults in which an operator died or was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) reported one major assault in 2008 and nine in 2022, according to the study. In 2022, the Orange County Transportation Authority reported two and Riverside Transit Agency had one; neither reported any assaults in 2008, according to the study.
LA Metro’s major assault incidents are low when compared to New York City Transit, which had 237 assaults in 2022. In January 2021, a Metro rail operator was shot while in his train in East Los Angeles. A reward was posted seeking information about the suspect in the attempted murder.
“Because of the current requirements, data reporting (of bus and rail operator assaults) are missing a colossal amount of assaults,” said Lindiwe Rennert, senior research associate at the Urban Institute.
Even with under-reporting, the trends are notable. For instance, the study said bus assaults are rapidly rising but they are also spreading to more places. “In 2008, only 21 agencies reported any major assault events, which ballooned to 49 agencies in 2022,” the report stated.
This year, the FTA database will cast a wider net due to new reporting rules contained in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The database will include any assault on bus and rail operators, from pushing, punching and physical assault to spitting, incidents…
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