Bus drivers punched, spat on

who said other passengers jumped in to restrain Thomas and push him off the bus.

“He was on me fast. I thought, ‘Oh, my God, I’m sitting here, vulnerable as can be.” and only 2 percent involve weapons.

There is a bill in the Ohio legislature that would increase the charge for assaulting a transit worker from a misdemeanor to a felony.

And Metro is looking at installing highimpact plexiglass barriers between drivers and the passengers they ferry.

There was a prototype bus in Cincinnati on Aug. 2, one with a barrier already installed, but the local drivers didn’t like it, said Metro spokeswoman Brandy Jones. They thought the barrier was too small — not offering enough protection — and it was not retractable, so drivers would not have the option to take it down if they wanted. Metro will keep looking for other options, Jones said.

There are other cities already using the barriers, according to news reports, and they seem to be popular in Europe.

It’s not clear how much the barriers would cost, but that could be an issue because Metro is facing a $ 184 million deficit over the next decade.

Jones said she doesn’t even have a ballpark cost estimate, because it would depend on whatever design is ultimately selected.

Metro would look for grants, she said, but “cost is secondary when it comes to securing our employees.” so offenders could face up to six months in jail and a $ 1,000 fine, according to the Ohio Revised Code.

But state Rep. Brigid Kelly, D-Hyde Park, is pushing a bill that would make it an automatic felony to assault a transit worker on the job. Offenders could face six months to a year in prison plus a fine of up to $ 5,000. The greater impact could be to an offender’s job prospects, as applications often require disclosure of felony convictions.

Under the bill, the judge could bar offenders from riding any Ohio transit system for up to six months.

The bill would also increase the penalty for skipping a fare, moving it from a fourthdegree misdemeanor to a second-degree misdemeanor.

House Bill 496 is not in response to any one incident, Kelly said, but rather the accumulation over time. She heard about incidents in Cleveland and Cincinnati and thought, why is this happening?

“When you hear that something happens, and it happens again, and it happens again, and it happens again,” she said, “I think that sort of begs the question of: Are we looking at this the right way? Are there things we can do to prevent this?”

Kelly is a Democrat, and the House and Senate are controlled by Republicans, so that might hurt the bill’s chances. Her cosponsor, Rick Perales, from Beavercreek, is a Republican, so that might help push the issue. But they are running out of time. They have until Dec. 31 to pass the bill, or they’ll have to start all over in the next legislative session.

If it comes to that, Kelly said she will keep pushing. People have an expectation of being safe at work, she said, but even past that, it’s incredibly dangerous for everyone if a bus driver gets injured or distracted.

“You’re driving a bus full of people in an area full of people,” she said. “You’re talking about a much greater danger not just to the people on the bus but also to the greater public.”

The Enquirer has requested Metro’s report on Bennett’s assault, including any video that might show the fight from inside the bus. A bystander’s Facebook video shows the scene from outside.

Bennett said Thomas punched him in the head and all over his body. Along with the broken glasses, he cracked a denture and is going to a chiropractor for pain in his sciatic nerve.

At first, he didn’t think he was injured that badly. But after police arrested Thomas and Bennett drove back to the bus garage, he realized just how bad it was. He had to reach out his arm to grab an incident report, and his entire body ached, he said.

“Hopefully, this will heal up and I can get back to work,” he said, before pausing to add that he’s actually a little nervous for that to happen.

What if there’s a repeat incident? And what if he can’t bounce back?

“I’m 68 years old,” he said. “I’m not in good shape like I used to be.”