Comments on: After murder, a bus driver partition pilot program

By: Bus partition pilot finally moving forward :: Second Ave. Sagas

Bus partition pilot finally moving forward :: Second Ave. Sagas — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:36:53 +0000

[...] pilot program. Nearly three years ago, a bus driver was murdered on the job, the MTA vowed to pilot a bus partition program to improve driver safety. It took almost a year to install the first partitions, and Transit has [...]

By: mike

mike — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:34:08 +0000

There needs to be automatic arrest against any passenger, who assaults a driver. I just had a co-worker who was hit in the face with a bottle last week and they are sending her right back to work. NJ Transit.

By: mike

mike — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:29:58 +0000

I’m a bus driver and I was recently let gofrom my job because a passenger harrassed me and we had an altercation and he lost, so this is not the first time I have been assaulted and it won’t be the last time any driver is assaulted. The bus companies we work for, say they will protect there employees, but looks to fire them. Actions need to be taken against the companies and the passengers period.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:14:36 +0000

Big question – you’re in the outer boroughs, a bus ride from the nearest subway station. How do you get a metrocard immediately, so you can pay the bus fare? That’s enough justification for accepting cash payments for bus fares. However, the next question would be – how do you make simple, one time payments easy to do?

By: rhywun

rhywun — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:52:25 +0000

> It’s worth noting that eliminating paper transfers would also help the
> MTA capture more revenue from bus passengers.

I don’t think the MTA would advertise different fares for different pay methods as a means of supporting this measure. In fact, I don’t think such a policy is at all politically feasible.

> though I don’t even undertsand why they still accept coins on buses

Again, politically impossible to require the purchase of a MetroCard to ride the bus.

I think they should just use the honor system already. It would make bus travel tolerable again, maybe even faster than walking.

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:20:40 +0000

I’ve never really understood why the buses don’t come from the factory with partitions. Subway conductors and operators have locking partitions and token clerks have their protective booths, taxi drivers have their partition, so why have bus drivers always been left so exposed all these years?

It can’t be that much of a hassle to open a partition door to go and operate the wheelchair lift, nor could it really be that hard to put in a little drawer thing in the partition like they have in taxis for paper transfers (though I don’t even undertsand why they still accept coins on buses).

Even in the fiscal crisis, I can’t see a valid argument against giving bus drivers some basic protection. Driving a bus in the city has to be one of the most thankless, tedious, nail biting jobs imaginable.