New York State Senate Passes Klein Transit Bill Requiring New Safety Installations for All NYC Bus Operators
All Buses would be Retrofitted with Partitions to Protect Bus Drivers; New GPS Features to Alert Authorities in Event of Emergency
ALBANY, NY – In an effort to ensure the protection of all New York City bus operators, Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) announced that yesterday the state Senate passed his bill (S.5684-A) that would implement new safety features for nearly 6,000 New York City Transit Authority buses and all of its subsidiaries operating within the five boroughs. Under the legislation, over the next five years, each bus would be required to become equipped with transparent partitions in order to shield bus drivers from dangerous assaults and other illegal contact by any accompanying passengers.
In addition, within the next two years, all existing equipment on each bus would have to be synchronized so that when an emergency button is activated, the precise location of the bus would be relayed to a transit authority’s command center via a GPS device. Currently, if a silent alarm is triggered that signals an emergency situation, the vehicle’s GPS does not convey the exact location, which can result in longer response times for first responders.
John Samuelsen, President of Transport Workers Union Local 100, said: “Our city’s transit workers deserve the same level of respect and protections that we offer to New Yorkers each and every day. This bill is a giant leap forward in ensuring that our Bus Operators go home from work in one piece. On behalf of the TWU, I applaud Senator Klein for his leadership on this issue and look to getting this signed into law.”
Senate Co-Leader Klein said: “Every day, thousands of New Yorkers depend upon access to safe and reliable transportation, so it is only right that we ensure the same level of support for our hardworking bus drivers as well. No one should ever feel that their job can put them into harm’s way. Thankfully, this legislation will put in place the proper safeguards so that each bus driver will have adequate peace of mind and have the tools they need to act swiftly should in any emergency situation. I applaud the Senate for passing this bill and ask my Assembly counterparts to do the same.”
While city bus operators are tasked with driving through dense urban settings and navigating traffic on the road, many are simultaneously subjected to the growing number of assaults and incidents taking place on their vehicle. In many cases, bus drivers themselves are frequently the target of unruly passengers. These threats can include spitting and, if the bus driver happens to be a female, are subjected to humiliating and demanding unwanted touching by male passengers.
Even though the New York City Transit Authority has already begun to slowly install such protection partitions to deter misbehavior and protect transit employees, this bill would encourage and ultimately bring about quicker installation of these devices.
Any additional costs for these installations would be fully offset by savings from reduced workers compensation costs and a reduction in absences from work due to attacks on bus operators.
The New York City Transit Authority has included in its most recent labor contract with the Transport Workers Union (TWU) a promise to begin installing such protection devices. However, past experiences have shown the authority has backed out of other bus operator safety provisions. This legislation will rectify this situation and prevent an unwillingness to follow through on this measure.
Senator Klein’s bill now moves to the Assembly for its consideration.
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