Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Many are taking preventive actions, such as training, and providing assistance to operators in the aftermath of an incident.

The confrontation between the driver, Artis Hughes, and the passenger became an Internet sensation after numerous people on board the bus used their cell phones to record the incident.

Between 15 and 20 teenagers punched a bus operator and tried to pull him from the driver’s side window. Transit Police Superintendent in Chief Joseph O’Connor said that the incident was unusual because assaults on bus drivers usually only involve one or two individuals.

Alan Yam kept calm and brought his eight passengers to safety while his vehicle was attacked and burned by a mob after the San Francisco Giants won the World Series. The agency held a ceremony to honor Yam and a bystander who tried to prevent the crowd from vandalizing the bus.

Drivers are under attack more often than what the city's official figures reflect, according to a former Winnipeg bus driver. More than 400 assaults against transit drivers have been reported in the city of Winnipeg in the last 12 years.

Police said after cautioning the woman for putting her feet up on a seat and for falling asleep a physical altercation ensued when it is alleged the driver tried to remove her from the bus.

Currently, on-board surveillance cameras do not record the bus driver's compartment, which means some assaults may not be entirely caught on video.

Bus passenger Anthony Craig Chambers has been charged with special circumstances murder and could face the death penalty if convicted. California law allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty when someone is convicted of lying in wait and murdering a transportation worker.

In 2011, there were 94 physical assaults of New York City Transit bus drivers or subway workers, alongside 1,092 cases of harassment, according to MTA spokesman Charles Seaton.

Many of the assaults stem from incidents where transit police attempt to catch fare evaders, and typically involve people spitting on employees.