Legislative Report - ATU Leads the Way on New Transit Worker Safety Bill
Bus drivers: How many times have you been attacked on the job? For years, we’ve known that ATU members get spit on, punched, slapped, verbally abused, or much worse, every day. Now, however, thanks to recent changes in U.S. federal law that were called for by our Union, we now have actual data to support our pleas for help.
It’s Getting Worse
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation of 2021 defines an assault as any “interference” with a transit worker in the course of performing their duties. The bill also requires U.S. transit systems to report all assaults to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The data is now pouring in, and it is startling, showing that there were more than 16,000 reported incidents of transit workers being assaulted in 2024, and early numbers from 2025 indicate the problem has gotten worse. More than 40 times per day nationwide, our members get attacked. Some have lost their lives over a measly $2.50 in fare. Passengers have gotten hurt too; buses have crashed into buildings as bus drivers get yanked out of their seats.
We’ve tried all kinds of approaches to stop these senseless attacks, from deescalation techniques, to video cameras, to banning policies and even bills to increase the penalties for attacking transit workers. None of it has worked. Our members and their families deserve better.
New Legislation Introduced
In December, at the request of ATU, U.S. Representatives Shomari Figures (D-AL) and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) introduced the Bus Operator Safety and Security Act, HR 6635. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) will soon be introducing the bill in the Senate. Under this legislation, the operator workstation of any new fixed route bus must be equipped with a barrier that reaches from the bus floor to the bus ceiling, which is capable of fully enclosing the workstation and preventing the unwanted entry of persons, fluids, and objects into the driver’s area. Since the terrorist attacks in September 2001, commercial airline pilots have been protected by a fortified cockpit. HR 6635 would provide the same level of protection for transit bus drivers.
The U.S. Congress is now putting together a new surface transportation bill that will provide funding and dictate transit policy for the next five or six years. The ATU’s number one legislative priority is to include the Bus Operator Safety and Security Act in the larger bill. We are also pursuing funding for retrofit barriers to provide protection within existing bus fleets.
At some point this year, we will all need to be talking to our Members of Congress about HR 6635. In the meantime, one thing that you can do to help is report every assault incident - even verbal assaults - to your employer. They are required by law to report these horrific events to the FTA, and the more we document these attacks, the greater our chance of passing our new bill.