Metro Transit partnering with city of Madison to enhance safety on buses
Metro Transit and the city of Madison, Wis., are putting together a set of initiatives to enhance employee safety on Metro Transit buses in response to a series of recent incidents.
Metro Transit staff are assembling an incident review board made up of drivers, supervisors and other union representatives to review each of the recent events to make sure all of the correct actions were taken, all protocols were followed and determine what went wrong and what can be done to prevent similar situations in the future. The review board will be led by Metro Transit’s chief of operations, safety personnel and driver supervisors. The agency says it will be reaching out to Teamsters Local 120 that requested its members also join the board.
According to the city, the incidents and the findings of the review board will be discussed in annual summer refresher driver training courses and included in new driver training classes. The city notes an outside agency is also being brought in to provide de-escalation training as part of the summer refresher courses. The city says training will continue to emphasize that drivers are not responsible for confronting passengers about fare payment.
Citations for non-fare payment
Metro Transit is in the process of updating the city ordinance that governs enforcement of bus fares to reduce drivers' role in enforcing fare payment and thereby further reduce the potential for negative interactions with passengers.
The city says the first steps will be to create passenger signage encouraging riders to make sure to pay their fare and informing passengers of the penalties for non-payment. The ordinance will empower Metro Transit supervisors to enforce fare payment, thereby removing the burden on drivers and avoiding the need for police involvement, which will make enforcement easier.
Interagency safety group
Metro Transit will also assemble an interagency safety group made up of the agency’s management and safety teams, Madison police and the Mayor’s Office. The city says the safety group will meet regularly to assess and respond to recent incidents.
Increased penalties for disorderly conduct toward drivers
The Mayor’s Office and the Common Council are working with the city Attorney’s office on an ordinance to increase fines and specifically prohibit any disorderly conduct targeted at bus operators. The city notes the ordinance is modeled on the ordinance the city passed in 2022 in response to threats and violence aimed at elections officials. According to the city, the updated ordinance would be in addition to the felony charges that already exist for an assault on a transit operator.
Safety barriers
The city says it has ensured that all new Metro Transit buses have driver safety barriers installed. The agency is exploring retrofitting the rest of its fleet with new barriers.
Public education regarding driver and passenger safety
The city says it will work with Metro Transit to expand its public messaging about the risks and penalties for interfering with drivers, as well as reminders to pay fares and reminders about penalties involved for non-payment. The city notes the messaging campaign will employ all city communication channels.
