Drivers? Bus operators could use a little help

I can’t remember a time when public transportation wasn’t part of my life.

I have boarded public buses from here to Seattle, and dozens of towns and cities in between.

For more decades than I care to count, public transportation has gotten me where I needed to go, and it is cheap. In my book, that is a winning combination.

But I have seen many changes and, in more ways than one, public transportation has become an unpleasant, grinand-bear-it experience for the riding public.

Basic rules are ignored, basic courtesy is ignored and, for that matter, basic cleanliness and hygiene are ignored, as people clip toenails, use baby wipes to clean themselves, and change clothing.

I have watched as marijuana is rolled up and even sold as if the kids on the bus didn’t matter; I have been forced to listen to profanity-laden music while it blares, profanity-laden conversations and profanity-laden arguments.

It has become a freefor-all where people bring their living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen habits and park them in the seats.

People have always snacked on buses but now they have full-blown meals — and throw what they didn’t eat on the floor with a flippant explanation of “somebody gets paid to clean that.”

Many times, I have sat cursing quietly in frustration wondering why the driver didn’t enforce rules that are printed on posters throughout the bus that are supposed to make the riding experience comfortable for all people.

And then I read drivers’ complaints to lawmakers, urging them to do something to provide more security for bus operators who face an increasingly hostile public and becoming victims of those passengers’ anger.

According to the Amalgamated Transit Union website, in the last five years, injuries sustained by bus operators include broken eye sockets, deep puncture wounds and loss of certain bodily functions.

“Bus drivers are always under attack, verbally, physically and mentally,” said Veronica Chavers, president/business agent for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 443, which represents Stamford drivers. “They (the public) spit on them, hit on them and beat them with wooden blocks.”

Chavers said when bus drivers fight back, they face termination.

WTNH has reported that video has captured a male passenger spitting twice on a driver and later that same day, a female passenger also spitting on a driver on a separate New Haven route.

I have been a witness to such acts and more; I can tell you, they bring uneasy moments to those on the bus.

Connecticut lawmakers should understand that specter of violence hovering over bus drivers is affecting passengers, too, and brings uneasy moments to those riding the bus. We are trapped in an enclosed space as the fracas erupts, theoretically putting all occupants in danger and leaving many of us stressed out from the ride.

Ralph Buccitti, business agent for Local 281 in New Haven, said the “Connecticut Department of Transportation has not taken this issue seriously.”

“The public has become more violent,” he said. “In New Haven, we had a bus operator beaten with a cane. They need to install barriers, which will put bus operators in a cockpit similar to what you see on a train.”

Chavers said there was a “showroom” presentation of security enhancements by officials but nothing has been installed.

Buccitti said the protection is necessary for both operators’ and passengers’ safety.

Bus operators being attacked is a problem across the nation and, coupled with stagnant wages is creating a shortage of drivers.

I found plenty of information about bus operators being attacked but could not find an official stat about the number of times this happens annually. But taking heat from passengers is not the only issue causing drivers to become disgruntled about the job.

Mustafa Salahuddin, president and business agent for Local 1336 in Danbury, who previously has said “nothing is off limits” when it comes to the public’s bad behavior on buses, said drivers face another critical issue — the ability to take a bathroom break.

But Salahuddin, who drove a bus for 23 years, said whether operators can go and when they can go hinges on tight schedules that don’t allow for bathroom breaks. Bus drivers are even timed on the amount of time a bathroom break should take.

“This is a human right and should not need a contractual agreement,” he said.

Anyone want to argue with that?

Public transportation “allegedly” is being overhauled in Connecticut to provide a more efficient service.

Part of that effort should be to correct the problems bus drivers face, because the problems they face affect the passengers in their care.

Just like there are protections in the workplace that emphasize a safe work environment with basic human rights in buildings, bus drivers deserve those same rights in the confines of their “office.”

Drivers? Bus operators could use a little help. James Walker is the New Haven register’s senior editor and a statewide columnist for Hearst Connecticut newspapers. He can be reached at 203-680-9389 or james.walker@hearstmediact.com. @thelieonroars