Minneapolis Metro Transit adding 150 Bentech driver shields

MINNEAPOLIS — The Pioneer Press reports that Metro Transit will install protective shields on 150 buses early next year after recent increases in assaults on drivers.

Officials ordered the Plexiglas shields from Bentech Inc. after testing them out on roughly two-dozen buses earlier this year. Drivers and transit personnel hope the enclosures will cut back on the assaults.

Assaults on operators have risen over the past several years, despite efforts by the agency to deter them. A total of 189 assaults were reported through October of this year, up from 184 for all of last year. The incidents range from felony-level assaults to spitting, verbal harassment, and threats.

The 150 shields will be delivered by the end of February, with the agency planning to install them on eight to 10 buses per week. For the full story, click here.