Metro to review incidents after riders complain

One passenger says driver pulled knife in argument

Metro might have redesigned its bus network and smoothly made the transition to new board members, but the agency Thursday faced some of the same problems that have dogged the region’s transit system for years regarding safety and customer service.

Those issues included an alleged incident in Houston’s Third Ward earlier this week during which a Metro bus operator pulled a knife on a passenger.

Though officials applauded recent efforts to improve service by redesigning bus routes, board members Thursday expressed dismay at reports — still under investigation — of poor treatment of passengers by transit staff, or the perception that some train stations and bus stops where riders wait are unsafe.

Hearing complaints is simply part of the job, board chairwoman Carrin Patman said in her first full meeting since taking the helm of Metro.

“Certainly one of the functions of people coming to speak to us is to alert us to these sorts of problems,” Patman said.

“I have never known of a speaker who raised an issue … where the problem wasn’t thoroughly analyzed.”

Metro officials confirmed they are investigating an incident — captured on smartphone video by a witness — in which a bus driver brandished a knife at a passenger she was arguing with Monday.

“The cellphone video raises a number of questions regarding what happened,” Metro said in a statement.

Weapons banned

The driver has been pulled from service during the investigation, Metro officials said. The bus on which the incident took place did not have security cameras, agency spokesman Jerome Gray said.

It is against Metro policy for bus operators to carry weapons, Gray said, though not all knives would be classified as a weapon. Small pocket knives on keychainsized accessories, for example, would be allowed.

Metro’s board of directors also heard from two riders regarding poor treatment by transit staff.

Jose Avila, who is blind and requires a MetroLift vehicle and is a frequent transit system critic over his treatment, complained a driver harassed him over his failure to have a ticket for a ride. Though the driver disputes the account, Avila told board members he was cursed at and concerned for his well-being because of the stress from the incident.

Moments after Avila detailed his version of events, Noel Freeman complained a worker in Metro’s downtown headquarters he quarreled with later called his employer to criticize his conduct.

“To think she would retaliate is completely and grossly unacceptable,” Freeman told board members.

Though complaints for an agency as large as Metro occur, the incidents raised, if verified, will be addressed swiftly, Metro CEO Tom Lambert said. Board member Jim Robinson said the retaliation and informing of an employer, if true, was “totally unacceptable.”

Riders often turn to social media to air grievances about bus operators, and often operators are vindicated. Operators also complain of rude passengers who escalate tensions, then embellish stories. The incidents are one reason Metro has outfitted new buses with security features such as cameras.

Officials have resisted cordoning bus operators away from riders in a booth. In the past, Metro has said there is concern the booths would erode the ability of drivers to interact with the public, since most of those interactions are helpful.

Safety concerns

Meanwhile safety at some stations remains an issue. Though Metro Police Chief Vera Bumpers said crime across the system is down, police and fare inspectors will increase their presence at rail stations north of downtown, notably at Quitman rail station.

Residents and people active in the area said the train station is becoming an issue, something board member Christof Spieler — a frequent rider — echoed.

“The Quitman station is, frankly, the only one of the system where I do not totally feel safe by myself at night,” he said.

Similar increases in police visibility reduced issues at the Wheeler light rail station, which Metro received complaints about after it became a frequent transfer point in the new bus system.

“Overall we get very good remarks now,” Bumpers said.

Metro’s board also approved spending $440,000 for cameras and computer equipment to outfit transit police with body cameras, similar to those recently approved for use by Houston police. Metro currently has 191 officers.