by Ron Fonger | The Flint Journal
Friday March 07, 2008, 10:21 PM
GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN --Assaulting a bus driver or passenger would become a felony under a plan headed to the state Senate, a change one Flint driver said is long overdue.
Passed by the state House this week, the three-bill package comes as gas prices and interest in public transportation continue to rise around the state.
In the county, Mass Transportation Authority bus and Your Ride traffic has been in record territory, but a Flint Journal analysis of MTA records in January showed the number of incidents documented by MTA drivers has been increasing as well.
Incidents included noncriminal trouble, such as passengers falling on buses, as well as fights and harassment of drivers.
"It's been a long time coming," Micah Shamly, president of AFSCME Local 3437, said of the plan. "It will be a help to deter things."
AFSCME represents bus drivers at MTA.
State Rep. Lee Gonzales, D-Flint Twp., pushed for the legislation.
"We have ridership growing, and we want to make sure we're proactive," Gonzales said. "People have to conduct themselves in a civil way."
The House bills make it a felony to injure an employee, operator or passenger on a public transit vehicle, including people at bus stops or stations.
The law would make the penalty for causing bodily injury to anyone in those categories 2 years in prison and a $2,000 fine, according to a news release from Gonzales.
For an injury requiring medical attention, the penalty would increase to 4 years in prison and $5,000, and if the victim's injury is serious, the penalty could rise to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The law makes penalties steeper for assaults on public transportation vehicles than for the same crime committed elsewhere.
Todd Tennis, a lobbyist for Capitol Services Inc., said drivers represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union, have reported increases in assaults, though statewide statistics are difficult to come by.
"I think (the bills would) have a chilling effect" on crime, Tennis said.
MTA General Manager Robert J. Foy said he supports the proposed law, but it's not the only solution to assaults on buses, which that don't happen often.
Foy said MTA drivers receive training on how to defuse potential problems.
"It's very important drivers have training on how to deal with people, especially difficult people, and we do that," Foy said.
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