Officials look for fix amid wave of assaults of bus drivers
Authorities in Cincinnati are looking at possible solutions to an ongoing problem of city bus drivers getting assaulted by passengers.
CINCINNATI (AP) - Authorities in Cincinnati are looking at possible solutions to an ongoing problem of city bus drivers getting assaulted by passengers.
According to Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority records, Cincinnati Metro bus drivers have been assaulted 14 times since 2016, with nine in 2017 and two so far in 2018. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports there is currently a bill in the Ohio Legislature that would increase the charge for assaulting a transit worker from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Cincinnati Metro says it is also considering installing new Plexiglas barriers that would shield drivers from passengers.
Metro spokeswoman Brandy Jones says officials don't have a ballpark cost estimate for the barriers yet. Metro is facing a $184 million deficit for the next decade.
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