By Mey Lyn Mitteenn
Metro The Source
Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) bus operator Rosaelba Ramírez-Gonzales admitted that when she started at Metro a year ago, she felt uneasy after hearing about assaults on bus operators.
That worry has since faded with the announcement that by the end of 2024, all 2,000-plus buses currently in service have been retrofitted with new barriers that fully enclose and protect bus operators.
“Since the bus barrier was installed on my bus, I feel protected and safe,” Ramírez-Gonzales said.
Metro is the first transit agency in the United States to equip its entire bus fleet with these types of barriers.
The $5.8-million project was funded by two of the sales tax measures that LA County voters have approved for Metro (1990’s Prop C and 2016’s Measure M), as well as money from the state’s Transportation Development Act.
The initiative was launched in 2024 in response to an increase in attacks on Metro bus operators. This is unfortunately part of a national trend; the number of major assaults on transit workers tripled between 2008 and 2021, according to the Federal Transit Administration.
Although Metro has had partial barriers in place on buses, in April 2024, the Metro Board of Directors approved an emergency procurement action to install full bus barriers on all in-service buses, reducing the project’s time to completion from and estimated three years to just a few months.
Metro officials said there was a change in urgency because it became clear that more is needed to be done to protect the Metro operators who help riders reach their jobs, schools, health care services, events and many other key destinations.
Metro’s bus system is one of the busiest in the U.S. and has provided more than 222 million rides in 2024 across a 1,447-square-mile service area, which includes more than 12,000 bus stops.
“Personally, I’ve never been attacked, but months ago my family were hearing stories on the news and started asking about my safety,” said Tracey Davis, a Metro bus operator of three years. “So, when Metro announced the bus barriers, I was excited… It felt like better protection for us.”
Like many of his colleagues, Davis participated in conversations with Metro leadership at bus divisions across the county, where employees could see prototypes of the barriers and learn about the project timeline.
“I saw how the barrier would look on the bus and provided feedback in an online survey,” Davis said. “Being included in the process made me feel comfortable with the new barriers and showed me that Metro was listening to us.”
The barriers provide an extra layer of security for operators, protecting them from physical attacks – i.e. punching, grabbing or throwing objects – and from behaviors such as spitting.
Beyond physical safety, Davis believes the barriers also minimize distractions for operators and deter bad behavior from the relatively few riders looking to make trouble.
The barriers are constructed of steel and laminated, low-reflectivity shatter-resistant glass. To retrofit the entire fleet, Metro used about 55,000 square feet of this glass – enough to cover an entire football field.
The barrier design, prototyping and much of the fabrication were completed in-house at Metro’s Central Maintenance Facility (CMF) in downtown LA, and the barriers were installed by Metro staff at CMF and operating divisions. Some of the materials – including the tempered glass – were produced by contractors.
The bus barriers are already showing positive results. From April to September, operators were 58% less likely to be assaulted on buses with fully enclosed barriers. Metro has also seen a significant decline in spitting incidents.
For operators like Antonio Acuña, who has worked with Metro for 12 years, the barriers provide peace of mind. He added that passengers have also voiced their approval of the new barriers.
“Many riders say ‘This is great; you deserve this,’” said Acuña. “It’s comforting to know they care about our well-being, too.”
In addition to the new barriers, Metro has implemented several other measures over the years to enhance operator safety, including:
● Onboard cameras, DVR systems and emergency buttons that operators can use to summon help.
● De-escalation training to help operators manage challenging situations.
● A “See Something, Say Something” marketing campaign to encourage riders to report issues and stay vigilant.
● Signage reminding passengers that assaults on operators are punishable by up to three years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both under California law.
● Dedicated bus riding security teams patrolling select lines.
These efforts underscore Metro’s attempts to protect its workforce and passengers.
“We wanted protection ASAP and we got the barriers,” said Ramírez-Gonzales. “I feel completely safe with the barriers and my colleagues are happy about them, too.”