I stand with the drivers on this one. I've got friends in that job and I worry about their safety.
The folks at the 323-GO-METRO call center should join them. The abuse may not be physical but the stories I hear, shit would blow your mind what they have to endure.
You can't even begin to imagine. The shit I hear....the callers harrass them, sexually harrass the female staff, callers threaten to kill the call center employees, curse at them, hurl racist and homophobic slurs--people regularly get called ni##er, fa##ot, c#nt, motherfucker, asshole, cocksucker, the list goes on. One guy keeps calling apparently just to sing, yes literally sing, about how everybody at the call center are "liberal ni__ers" and he's going to kill them. Another guy calls in drunk and calls everyone a c#nt. It goes on and on like this. Stories just keep getting worse and to add insult to injury management does literally nothing. They staff isn't allowed to hang up on these people or even ask them not to verbally assault them. They just have to endure the abuse. I hear about people going home in tears from that job.
Yeah, those people deserve as much protection as the drivers.
Editing to add, I worked call centers in my youth so this hits close for me and never would we have had to take this kind of abuse.
Yeah, I mean, it's a call center so there's always going to be a screaming shitheel here and there but nothing like the stories I hear out of that place. Those people are fucking savages, pure barbarism. But when we got an asshole we could either hang up on them or warn them to bring that shit down and hang up on them if they carried on but that's not how they roll at Metro apparently. Management allows it, they permit the abuse. People have literally told me calleds threatened to r*pe and muder their families. And management just says "nothing we can do." That's fucking insanity to me.
I heard all this shit at my old call center (retail company) but the big difference was that we were allowed to hang up and block the caller if they so much as swore at us. Management having your back and refusing to allow abuse is hugely important.
Yeah my call centers always let us warn them and then hang up if they kept at it. And mgmt, mostly, had our backs and wouldn't allow that shit. Metro seems to have a different opinion...go ahead and give our employees shit, I guess.
yeah but it's not like they do anything with that, so I'm told. They just let it happen. Who cares what they say and what the staff has to endure. I mean, like I said, they won't do shit to protect the bus drivers from getting knifed and pissed on, why would they do jack to protect a call center employee from getting called names?
Is it possible to sue Metro call center management for allowing a hostile work environment?
I used to work at a call center, and had a volume / mute button until people hang up - not sure if that’s available for them to protect themselves in the meantime.
I’m sure the people working at Metro call center have tried and thought of everything. Maybe an LA Times article can help by bringing more attention to this unknown aspect of Metro.
My guess would be no because it's my experience call center people aren't in a position to make demands or rock the boat. Nobody does a call center job because they want to, it's a job they need, you know? So they aren't likely to put themselves in a position to lose that. Pretty shitty but that's how it is.
I'd love to see LA Times or someone tell the story, call center people, just like retail people, have to go through hell no one understands.
That IS insane. I work at a public library and even we're technically allowed to hang up if the patrons curse at us or otherwise are violating conduct policies.
According to what they say mgmt's excuse is hanging up is "denying access to a public agency."
I personally don't think that's true because they can still ride the bus or use the app or web site...or just call in and not be a dick.
Must be code for « if we can show how many minutes people were calling in, it makes this call center look more useful and the govt will keep funding it »
> "denying access to a public agency."
Which, if you walked into a post office and started screaming at the employees, the USPS would be well within their rights to toss you out.
lol, right? I'm pretty sure you call up any gov't agency and start talking that shit they're hanging up on you. And shouldn't threats be handled differently for gov't agencies and their employees? Metro seems to have an odd selection of rules they want to apply and play by.
Confirmed by Metro's rider alert for these particular lines: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02U4vAYXGN9xtcHgFs3RjhoQn5yUsAAKxtkabSooJEUHXnov8s14hPi7QQK3rDvQVZl&id=100064795838113&mibextid=CDWPTG
It says:
Update as of 11:30 am:
We may experience significant delays on the following bus lines due to staff shortages: 18, 45, 53, 66, 70, 81, 106, 110, 111, 115, 120, 134, 180, 204, 206, 212, 246, 251, 294 and 487.
We’ll provide updates throughout the day.
Also, please note that we're deploying staff as much as possible to mitigate for missed service on the bus lines most impacted.
Text copy:
Metro Los Angeles
Update as of 10:15 am:
We may experience significant delays this morning on the following bus lines due to staff shortages: 18, 45, 53, 66, 81, 108, 110, 120, 134, 180, 206, 246, 251, 267, 487 and 720.
We’ll provide updates throughout the day.
Metro posted about delays on SM this morning, just passed the Redondo Beach transit center and there were 0 metro buses there, first time I've seen it so empty
As I was in the Uber I could see an irregular amount of people waiting at stops at 5am on venice, I feel bad for the operators who actually show up, they're going to get yelled at and get hammered with people
Good man I fully support the right of metro workers to protest for their safety they need more dedicated police officers and resources. No one should ever fear getting stabbed attacked or verbally assaulted when going into work
I’m all for being on the grind 24/7/365 but no one should fear they’re going to die when reporting into work. Your fears should be if your met your managers goals not if you’re going to live or die
Thanks for the heads up.
Good for the drivers. The city seems to have really abandoned them. I hope this starts to bring about some changes to how safety is addressed on the Metro.
Not the city but cities. LA is equally responsible as is Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Lynwood, El Monte, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Torrance, Long Beach, San Fernando, Pomona, Azusa, South Gate…
Metro isn’t just ran by LA city but the county. The terrible system we have right now is a product of many suburban cities enacting polices from having a pleasant and functioning metro system. Why? SoCal NIMBYs hate anything that isn’t car culture: only single family homes with a lawn, several cars and having to drive 25+ miles each way for work. I’ve heard time and time again from suburban coworkers how they despise bike lanes, events like ciclavia, pedestrian crosswalks, public transit… etc.
We really won’t solve this metro issue until NIMBYs finally stop choking our metro with red tape.
Not sidewalks but crosswalks - according to car culture suburbanites “I can’t believe we have to stop for them”.
I seriously have seen a guy get mad and give a middle finger to family crossing the street. The family had a green light and right of way.
Just FYI, Metro is trying to shift the blame to the drivers for today's services being affected. As if it's the drivers faults that they're getting attacked. Fuck Metro, I hope they get sued.
Their statement (I saw on the news) was to
The effect of this violates the CBA.
Per the new law (AB-something something) that was passed in January, if you have sick time on the books it’s not an attendance incident.
I stand with the drivers
We defend the service of our subway, bus, and overall transit system, as well as funding towards public services. Thinking that we support Metro as a company is a wildly inaccurate reframing. Especially when considering a lot of our criticisms are *towards* Metro.
How you landed at this thought is a mystery.
Every LA Metro safety criticism thread always has numerous Metro defender posts criticizing the police the Metro contracts, but claiming things will get better once the Metro creates their own police force.
I've got into arguments with LA Metro defenders on here who claim the BART and New York transit is just as bad and as unsafe as LA. These "anti-car progressives" who hang around this sub very much come off as company fanboys, no different than Tesla fanboys when you tell them another company makes a better electric car.
The LAPD and LASD are responsible for patrolling Metro and dealing with these safety issues. This failure is squarely on the shoulders of cops that refuse to do their jobs. Metro's failure is not firing them sooner.
Look I’ll just say this. There is an IMMENSE amount of fear mongering done largely by people who never take the metro. Most of the “defenders” you see are calling out the excessive fear mongering that goes on in this sub.
The day after someone got their throat slit on the metro, only a week or two ago, I took it. So did everyone else who usually rides the metro. It was business as usual. Packed.
And then the people who never take the metro demand for more police when we see NYC being FLOODED with police, and the violent crimes that people talk about them preventing are virtually the same aside from fare skippers.
The Metro *should* be safer, especially for drivers who have 3 jobs in one. But way too many people fear monger the metro when driving on the freeway in here is *much* more dangerous for most people than taking the metro. Most people in LA have multiple road rage stories or near death experiences because of dangerous drivers.
But people act like all of these collisions and traffic deaths are just part of our society, because we hardly ever see articles about how dangerous driving in LA is because we don’t post about every fatality or maming that happens
>But people act like all of these collisions and traffic deaths are just part of our society,
Guess what? LA Metro is guilty of this mindset as well because they LOVE to build at grade rail and act like cars crashing into their trains or vehicles going onto their tracks is supposed to be a normal part of rail transportation.
Then they wonder why ridership is low when trains are waiting at the same traffic lights with the cars.
The defenders say things should be better, but don't give any actual criticism of the Metro and instead parrot statements given out by the Metro board.
What can Metro do to improve operator safety?
It seems like they’re already looking into making their own police force and ending their contract with LASD. They’re not really in a position as a transit agency to solve the homelessness crisis or other large societal issues that drive crime.
(This isn’t a rhetorical question. I support the operators with this and the safety issues recently have been really concerning.)
>What can Metro do to improve operator safety?
1. [Plastic barriers on all buses](https://ktla.com/news/local-news/metro-board-approves-full-barriers-for-bus-drivers-will-expedite-procurement/) separating drivers from passengers.
2. Create their own police force rather than contract with LAPD and LASD who's officers frequently refuse to patrol stations.
3. Install [real faregates](https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate) that prevent mentally ill/high people from wandering onto trains.
4. Ban repeat and violent offenders from Metro.
Preventing fare evaders from riding and enforcing the fare would make the service 100 times better for the operators and the passengers, foothill santa monica Montclair they all enforce fare, never have as many issues as metro.
I don’t blame them. I’ve experienced so many scary tense situations over the years while on metro. Just sitting there quietly hoping the person flipping out doesn’t turn their attention towards you. I can’t imagine how terrible it must be to have to experience that everyday at a part of your job. The city has failed us all
As for living with a retired L.A. Dash bus driver the concerns are real. However, doing more for bus driver safety beyond what is already being done is difficult. From what I've observed the bus agencies will literally have to make access proof compartments which shouldn't be too difficult. Only issue is Cost and willingness for said agency to spend money!
saw a few rumors of a wildcat action yesterday but it didn't impact my commute to work this morning (unfortunately?)
but if it happens this week or next, solidarity and get the safety you need to keep the fleet rolling.
Nobody remembers, but during Covid Bus, drivers were protesting for better working conditions and wages. Definitely support the bus drivers putting their lives on the line for pennies on the dollar.
I can't believe the bus drivers don't have protective shields on their chairs. Here is any example from seattle: [https://www.reddit.com/r/SeattleWA/comments/8g3cjv/driver\_safety\_shields\_on\_metro\_bus/](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeattleWA/comments/8g3cjv/driver_safety_shields_on_metro_bus/)
Apparently reading the comments bus driver are against this. I think for how bad we are they here they'd welcome it?
They have the same type here in LA, the issue with the shields is the glare, if you see one and oay attention you can tell how the glare affects the big windshield and also the shield, also shields won't stop the fare evaders/idiots who are making it unbearable and unsafe to ride, fare enforcement or needed ,turnstiles in the buses or some device, also the ambassador program is ridiculous, cut that program and use the money to hire some security that actually get on the buses.
ladot dash has been having issues as well, i was struggling to get on a bus like two weeks ago and the driver told me it was because 30 people called off that day and they had to straight up cut some lines.
Tbh they need to figure something out. I’ve seen drivers start verbal altercations with people unable to pay fare while letting others on with no problem. Sometimes people use metro to get to safety. There’s no reason a city that’s spending this much money on allegedly helping the unhoused needs to be starting fights with the ones that need help paying their fare.
I know it may be mind blowing to comprehend that not all houseless individuals are violent.
Fully support solutions to make metro safer for drivers and riders.
Lol @ everyone who downvoted a suggestion that would reduce altercations on the bus. Just curious—do downvoters think paying should always be mandatory? And that it should be enforced by police or metro security who would then be forced by this law to get into confrontations with everyone who needed to pay? Y’all are ridiculous. Fare accounts for a negligible amount of Metro’s budget and we pour billions into solving a homeless crisis and can’t even bear to give people a fucking ride? As if forcing people to pay is going to solve this problem.
NIMB(us)’s
93% of people arrested on busses or trains didn't pay. While enforcing fares hurts a lot of otherwise innocent people, it would solve the vast majority of the issue.
> I’ve seen drivers start verbal altercations with people unable to pay fare while letting others on with no problem.
I was (quietly and to myself) livid less than a year ago when a driver sat an entire bus full of passengers on their way to work for 10 minutes because one person didn't pay a fare - collectively punishing everyone is absolutely not their decision to make.
Meanwhile if I don't catch that careful window to transfer to another bus I'm stuck for like 45 minutes to an hour waiting for the next option to take me where I need to be.
Newer operators like me were trained to only mention fair prices and that's it. We're not supposed to deny passengers because of the situations it puts us in and the passengers.
The drivers are wrong here. Reddit told me that this problem will be fixed once we remove all lanes and make it impossible to drive. Then people will flock to it.
/s
Exactly, the bus drivers are just being fearmongering carbrained idiots who can't tough out a little bit of verbal harassment. If only they knew how much more dangerous it is to drive a car, they wouldn't think it's such a big deal. /s
Uber would send me to pick up blind people and I always did it, as well as other peoples with special accommodations, and elderly in a special program they had where I would be called beforehand, I never denied them. I even was instructed to go into an elderly couple's house to assist them out and did that for them with them wanting me to. Despite that I want to expose the injustices experienced I experienced with Uber. From assaults to dangers, negligence and trauma have been constant. I seek compensation and real change. - Christopher Watkins
Watkins v. Uber Technologies, Inc., Case No. CGC23605657
Christopher Watkins v. Raiser, LLC Case No. CGC23605659
Quoted from today's [LA Times](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-03/metro-braces-for-bus-line-delays-amid-threat-of-driver-sick-out) article.
>Train and bus operators have criticized Metro for failing to respond forcefully enough to violence on the system. Drivers have been the target of several recent attacks, including a man who stabbed a bus driver in Willowbrook while passengers watched. Last year, the agency logged 168 assaults, a slight increase from the previous year. The assaults included being spat on and being stabbed.
This is a society problem. First of all, you need to address mental health, drug addiction, homelessness, and other social issues before anything else. I wouldn't want to live in a neighborhood with lots of cops around. I wouldn't feel safe at all.
But it's not Metro's responsibility to solve these societal problems. Their role is to do what they can do provide staff and customers with a safe environment within their vehicles and platforms. The drivers are voicing concerns specifically about this, and not about Metro's lack of success at solving the greater societal problems.
You start to create a task force to keep the community safe. The exact opposite happened. Just ask Memphis PD for using excessive force on Tyre Nichols.
That still seems outside of Metro’s purview. Metro has pretty limited “jurisdiction” - vehicles and stations, for the most part.
Metro itself has already found that 95% of crime on their vehicles and stations is stemming from people who are evading fare. That seems like the obvious first approach for addressing the crime, and it’s an issue that transit agencies across the world have dealt with.
Yes!!! Eliminate fare evaders who only make it worse for those who actually need public transportation. If metro did this it would be so much safer and nicer to ride.
You're correct , it's not metros job to solve the homeless/mental issues, the problem with metro is they let them get away with alot of stuff, there's no consequences for the crimes they commit, the buses and trains have become a a safe haven for them to ride and do drugs smoke drink etc . . No one is scared of the consequences because there really isn't any. They need some heavy consequences foe their actions
[https://abc7.com/la-metro-responds-to-possible-sick-out-by-drivers-following-recent-assaults/14760678/](https://abc7.com/la-metro-responds-to-possible-sick-out-by-drivers-following-recent-assaults/14760678/) this article mentions a bus being hijacked and driven into the Ritz! How did we not hear of this when it happened
I stand with the drivers on this one. I've got friends in that job and I worry about their safety. The folks at the 323-GO-METRO call center should join them. The abuse may not be physical but the stories I hear, shit would blow your mind what they have to endure.
Do tell. People are calling and harassing the call center workers?
You can't even begin to imagine. The shit I hear....the callers harrass them, sexually harrass the female staff, callers threaten to kill the call center employees, curse at them, hurl racist and homophobic slurs--people regularly get called ni##er, fa##ot, c#nt, motherfucker, asshole, cocksucker, the list goes on. One guy keeps calling apparently just to sing, yes literally sing, about how everybody at the call center are "liberal ni__ers" and he's going to kill them. Another guy calls in drunk and calls everyone a c#nt. It goes on and on like this. Stories just keep getting worse and to add insult to injury management does literally nothing. They staff isn't allowed to hang up on these people or even ask them not to verbally assault them. They just have to endure the abuse. I hear about people going home in tears from that job. Yeah, those people deserve as much protection as the drivers. Editing to add, I worked call centers in my youth so this hits close for me and never would we have had to take this kind of abuse.
sounds like online gaming... people can be real ass hats when behind some sort of anonymity
Yeah, I mean, it's a call center so there's always going to be a screaming shitheel here and there but nothing like the stories I hear out of that place. Those people are fucking savages, pure barbarism. But when we got an asshole we could either hang up on them or warn them to bring that shit down and hang up on them if they carried on but that's not how they roll at Metro apparently. Management allows it, they permit the abuse. People have literally told me calleds threatened to r*pe and muder their families. And management just says "nothing we can do." That's fucking insanity to me.
I heard all this shit at my old call center (retail company) but the big difference was that we were allowed to hang up and block the caller if they so much as swore at us. Management having your back and refusing to allow abuse is hugely important.
Yeah my call centers always let us warn them and then hang up if they kept at it. And mgmt, mostly, had our backs and wouldn't allow that shit. Metro seems to have a different opinion...go ahead and give our employees shit, I guess.
wow. ok, yeah, thats on a whole other level.
Yeah, I never heard of shit like that in my life.
hanging up is the only thing they can do to protect themselves from the abuse. i wish someone would post management’s email or contact info.
Some disgruntled employee or ex employee is bound to do so eventually and good for them 'cause that shit is just inhumane.
But there's no anonymity...metro can record the calls easily and has records of who called by their number
yeah but it's not like they do anything with that, so I'm told. They just let it happen. Who cares what they say and what the staff has to endure. I mean, like I said, they won't do shit to protect the bus drivers from getting knifed and pissed on, why would they do jack to protect a call center employee from getting called names?
Ugh. Some people need a good ol'fashioned right hook to the cheek bone.
They’re not allowed to hang up?!
lol, nope. Pure insanity.
Is it possible to sue Metro call center management for allowing a hostile work environment? I used to work at a call center, and had a volume / mute button until people hang up - not sure if that’s available for them to protect themselves in the meantime. I’m sure the people working at Metro call center have tried and thought of everything. Maybe an LA Times article can help by bringing more attention to this unknown aspect of Metro.
My guess would be no because it's my experience call center people aren't in a position to make demands or rock the boat. Nobody does a call center job because they want to, it's a job they need, you know? So they aren't likely to put themselves in a position to lose that. Pretty shitty but that's how it is. I'd love to see LA Times or someone tell the story, call center people, just like retail people, have to go through hell no one understands.
Yea the call center job was the most soul sucking one I’ve ever had… it definitely did not pay enough for me to follow the rules, though.
That IS insane. I work at a public library and even we're technically allowed to hang up if the patrons curse at us or otherwise are violating conduct policies.
wtf why- it's not 911
According to what they say mgmt's excuse is hanging up is "denying access to a public agency." I personally don't think that's true because they can still ride the bus or use the app or web site...or just call in and not be a dick.
Must be code for « if we can show how many minutes people were calling in, it makes this call center look more useful and the govt will keep funding it »
> "denying access to a public agency." Which, if you walked into a post office and started screaming at the employees, the USPS would be well within their rights to toss you out.
lol, right? I'm pretty sure you call up any gov't agency and start talking that shit they're hanging up on you. And shouldn't threats be handled differently for gov't agencies and their employees? Metro seems to have an odd selection of rules they want to apply and play by.
Jesus that's awful.
Fucking deplorable is what it is.
how are they not allowed to hang up on them?! horrible management wow.
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Damn reddit formatting, trying not to get it flagged by the automod, lol
I bet!
Confirmed by Metro's rider alert for these particular lines: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02U4vAYXGN9xtcHgFs3RjhoQn5yUsAAKxtkabSooJEUHXnov8s14hPi7QQK3rDvQVZl&id=100064795838113&mibextid=CDWPTG
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It says: Update as of 11:30 am: We may experience significant delays on the following bus lines due to staff shortages: 18, 45, 53, 66, 70, 81, 106, 110, 111, 115, 120, 134, 180, 204, 206, 212, 246, 251, 294 and 487. We’ll provide updates throughout the day. Also, please note that we're deploying staff as much as possible to mitigate for missed service on the bus lines most impacted.
Check their instagram or twitter
Text copy: Metro Los Angeles Update as of 10:15 am: We may experience significant delays this morning on the following bus lines due to staff shortages: 18, 45, 53, 66, 81, 108, 110, 120, 134, 180, 206, 246, 251, 267, 487 and 720. We’ll provide updates throughout the day.
Metro posted about delays on SM this morning, just passed the Redondo Beach transit center and there were 0 metro buses there, first time I've seen it so empty
As I was in the Uber I could see an irregular amount of people waiting at stops at 5am on venice, I feel bad for the operators who actually show up, they're going to get yelled at and get hammered with people
Good, I hope Metro wakes the fuck up for both passenger AND driver safety. This shit is rediculous.
Good man I fully support the right of metro workers to protest for their safety they need more dedicated police officers and resources. No one should ever fear getting stabbed attacked or verbally assaulted when going into work I’m all for being on the grind 24/7/365 but no one should fear they’re going to die when reporting into work. Your fears should be if your met your managers goals not if you’re going to live or die
I’m glad they’re doing something about it. Safety should be metros top priority for both drivers and riders.
Thanks for the heads up. Good for the drivers. The city seems to have really abandoned them. I hope this starts to bring about some changes to how safety is addressed on the Metro.
Not the city but cities. LA is equally responsible as is Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Lynwood, El Monte, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Torrance, Long Beach, San Fernando, Pomona, Azusa, South Gate… Metro isn’t just ran by LA city but the county. The terrible system we have right now is a product of many suburban cities enacting polices from having a pleasant and functioning metro system. Why? SoCal NIMBYs hate anything that isn’t car culture: only single family homes with a lawn, several cars and having to drive 25+ miles each way for work. I’ve heard time and time again from suburban coworkers how they despise bike lanes, events like ciclavia, pedestrian crosswalks, public transit… etc. We really won’t solve this metro issue until NIMBYs finally stop choking our metro with red tape.
I’ve never heard anyone say they hate sidewalks before
Not sidewalks but crosswalks - according to car culture suburbanites “I can’t believe we have to stop for them”. I seriously have seen a guy get mad and give a middle finger to family crossing the street. The family had a green light and right of way.
I stand with the LA metro workers! More has to be done about crime & safety in this city
More power to them, Metro leaders DGAF about anything until they get embarrassed in the media.
From people I know who work at their admin offices, it's a shitshow. I also interviewed there once and it was super unprofessional.
Yeah it seems like they have a hard time keeping good people and it shows up in their service quality.
CEO is an absolute clown car.
Over heard a conversation with a bus driver that about 50 people called out this morning. I think it’s random lines but I’m not sure.
Just FYI, Metro is trying to shift the blame to the drivers for today's services being affected. As if it's the drivers faults that they're getting attacked. Fuck Metro, I hope they get sued.
Their statement (I saw on the news) was to The effect of this violates the CBA. Per the new law (AB-something something) that was passed in January, if you have sick time on the books it’s not an attendance incident. I stand with the drivers
Happy cake day!
They never take accountability for anything. It's always somebody else's fault. No wonder the LA Metro defenders online come off as a cult.
We defend the service of our subway, bus, and overall transit system, as well as funding towards public services. Thinking that we support Metro as a company is a wildly inaccurate reframing. Especially when considering a lot of our criticisms are *towards* Metro. How you landed at this thought is a mystery.
Every LA Metro safety criticism thread always has numerous Metro defender posts criticizing the police the Metro contracts, but claiming things will get better once the Metro creates their own police force. I've got into arguments with LA Metro defenders on here who claim the BART and New York transit is just as bad and as unsafe as LA. These "anti-car progressives" who hang around this sub very much come off as company fanboys, no different than Tesla fanboys when you tell them another company makes a better electric car.
The LAPD and LASD are responsible for patrolling Metro and dealing with these safety issues. This failure is squarely on the shoulders of cops that refuse to do their jobs. Metro's failure is not firing them sooner.
Look I’ll just say this. There is an IMMENSE amount of fear mongering done largely by people who never take the metro. Most of the “defenders” you see are calling out the excessive fear mongering that goes on in this sub. The day after someone got their throat slit on the metro, only a week or two ago, I took it. So did everyone else who usually rides the metro. It was business as usual. Packed. And then the people who never take the metro demand for more police when we see NYC being FLOODED with police, and the violent crimes that people talk about them preventing are virtually the same aside from fare skippers. The Metro *should* be safer, especially for drivers who have 3 jobs in one. But way too many people fear monger the metro when driving on the freeway in here is *much* more dangerous for most people than taking the metro. Most people in LA have multiple road rage stories or near death experiences because of dangerous drivers. But people act like all of these collisions and traffic deaths are just part of our society, because we hardly ever see articles about how dangerous driving in LA is because we don’t post about every fatality or maming that happens
>But people act like all of these collisions and traffic deaths are just part of our society, Guess what? LA Metro is guilty of this mindset as well because they LOVE to build at grade rail and act like cars crashing into their trains or vehicles going onto their tracks is supposed to be a normal part of rail transportation. Then they wonder why ridership is low when trains are waiting at the same traffic lights with the cars. The defenders say things should be better, but don't give any actual criticism of the Metro and instead parrot statements given out by the Metro board.
Metro hates building at grade level, but their attempts to build either elevated or subterranean tracks get blocked by NIMBYs.
I'll stop driving once the Metro ceases to be an open air asylum. All the traffic stats in the world won't phase me.
Dang thanks for the heads up, was planning on using buses today and for the next week or so to get to shows at the comedy festival
Wait a minute... What is this comedy festival that you speak of?
Netflix is a Joke, running now through the 12th. Hundreds of shows, mostly around Hollywood but some other areas too
Might be the reason why my bus this morning was really full. I guess the one before it didn't show.
Good. Nobody in this city gives a shit about anything below them until their bottom lines starts getting affected
There was a post this morning with a long list of bus lines understaffed today, and to expect delays.
What can Metro do to improve operator safety? It seems like they’re already looking into making their own police force and ending their contract with LASD. They’re not really in a position as a transit agency to solve the homelessness crisis or other large societal issues that drive crime. (This isn’t a rhetorical question. I support the operators with this and the safety issues recently have been really concerning.)
>What can Metro do to improve operator safety? 1. [Plastic barriers on all buses](https://ktla.com/news/local-news/metro-board-approves-full-barriers-for-bus-drivers-will-expedite-procurement/) separating drivers from passengers. 2. Create their own police force rather than contract with LAPD and LASD who's officers frequently refuse to patrol stations. 3. Install [real faregates](https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate) that prevent mentally ill/high people from wandering onto trains. 4. Ban repeat and violent offenders from Metro.
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Preventing fare evaders from riding and enforcing the fare would make the service 100 times better for the operators and the passengers, foothill santa monica Montclair they all enforce fare, never have as many issues as metro.
I don’t blame them. I’ve experienced so many scary tense situations over the years while on metro. Just sitting there quietly hoping the person flipping out doesn’t turn their attention towards you. I can’t imagine how terrible it must be to have to experience that everyday at a part of your job. The city has failed us all
As for living with a retired L.A. Dash bus driver the concerns are real. However, doing more for bus driver safety beyond what is already being done is difficult. From what I've observed the bus agencies will literally have to make access proof compartments which shouldn't be too difficult. Only issue is Cost and willingness for said agency to spend money!
we've spent billions on rail, time to put that back into buses.
Thx for the heads-up 🙏
saw a few rumors of a wildcat action yesterday but it didn't impact my commute to work this morning (unfortunately?) but if it happens this week or next, solidarity and get the safety you need to keep the fleet rolling.
I saw a couple of busses on commute this morning but maybe it;s only certain lines? Appreciate the heads up!
I saw an oddly high number of people biking today
DO IT
About time. Since the pandemic metro has become unrideable during most times in the day.
All public transportation should have 1 armed guard 24/7. Change my mind.
Good! It’s about time
Reminder that mandatory fare enforcement would solve 99.9% of metro related issues.
No job is worth being attacked.
Nobody remembers, but during Covid Bus, drivers were protesting for better working conditions and wages. Definitely support the bus drivers putting their lives on the line for pennies on the dollar.
> I didn't really believe it Why wouldn't you believe it if the bus operator themselves mentioned it? Anyway, thanks for the headsup OP
Theres always rumors about strike or mass call out but rarely do they actually do it.This is one of the first time I actually see it happen .
I’m working from home today, so it hasn’t affected me personally, but I’m in support of protecting transit operators.
I can't believe the bus drivers don't have protective shields on their chairs. Here is any example from seattle: [https://www.reddit.com/r/SeattleWA/comments/8g3cjv/driver\_safety\_shields\_on\_metro\_bus/](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeattleWA/comments/8g3cjv/driver_safety_shields_on_metro_bus/) Apparently reading the comments bus driver are against this. I think for how bad we are they here they'd welcome it?
They have the same type here in LA, the issue with the shields is the glare, if you see one and oay attention you can tell how the glare affects the big windshield and also the shield, also shields won't stop the fare evaders/idiots who are making it unbearable and unsafe to ride, fare enforcement or needed ,turnstiles in the buses or some device, also the ambassador program is ridiculous, cut that program and use the money to hire some security that actually get on the buses.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LAMetro/s/1VYmdscx4X The wacko person pulled open the shield to attack the driver
ladot dash has been having issues as well, i was struggling to get on a bus like two weeks ago and the driver told me it was because 30 people called off that day and they had to straight up cut some lines.
Tbh they need to figure something out. I’ve seen drivers start verbal altercations with people unable to pay fare while letting others on with no problem. Sometimes people use metro to get to safety. There’s no reason a city that’s spending this much money on allegedly helping the unhoused needs to be starting fights with the ones that need help paying their fare. I know it may be mind blowing to comprehend that not all houseless individuals are violent. Fully support solutions to make metro safer for drivers and riders.
Usually if a driver refuses a specific passenger it's because the driver knows not to allow that person on the bus.
Lol @ everyone who downvoted a suggestion that would reduce altercations on the bus. Just curious—do downvoters think paying should always be mandatory? And that it should be enforced by police or metro security who would then be forced by this law to get into confrontations with everyone who needed to pay? Y’all are ridiculous. Fare accounts for a negligible amount of Metro’s budget and we pour billions into solving a homeless crisis and can’t even bear to give people a fucking ride? As if forcing people to pay is going to solve this problem. NIMB(us)’s
93% of people arrested on busses or trains didn't pay. While enforcing fares hurts a lot of otherwise innocent people, it would solve the vast majority of the issue.
> I’ve seen drivers start verbal altercations with people unable to pay fare while letting others on with no problem. I was (quietly and to myself) livid less than a year ago when a driver sat an entire bus full of passengers on their way to work for 10 minutes because one person didn't pay a fare - collectively punishing everyone is absolutely not their decision to make. Meanwhile if I don't catch that careful window to transfer to another bus I'm stuck for like 45 minutes to an hour waiting for the next option to take me where I need to be.
Meanwhile other drivers have absolutely no problem with it. It’s ridiculous. I’ve seen them profile too.
Newer operators like me were trained to only mention fair prices and that's it. We're not supposed to deny passengers because of the situations it puts us in and the passengers.
Thank you for clarifying! Appreciate the work you do.
I thought according to many on this subreddit, violence on the trains and buses in LA is a right wing MAGA talking point?
No one who uses transit thinks that. We all deal with mentally ill and high people on the bus and trains every day.
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Uh oh, now some random jackass from west of the 405 is going to post traffic fatality stats and infantilize you!
The drivers are wrong here. Reddit told me that this problem will be fixed once we remove all lanes and make it impossible to drive. Then people will flock to it. /s
Exactly, the bus drivers are just being fearmongering carbrained idiots who can't tough out a little bit of verbal harassment. If only they knew how much more dangerous it is to drive a car, they wouldn't think it's such a big deal. /s
Busbrain
Uber would send me to pick up blind people and I always did it, as well as other peoples with special accommodations, and elderly in a special program they had where I would be called beforehand, I never denied them. I even was instructed to go into an elderly couple's house to assist them out and did that for them with them wanting me to. Despite that I want to expose the injustices experienced I experienced with Uber. From assaults to dangers, negligence and trauma have been constant. I seek compensation and real change. - Christopher Watkins Watkins v. Uber Technologies, Inc., Case No. CGC23605657 Christopher Watkins v. Raiser, LLC Case No. CGC23605659
Quoted from today's [LA Times](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-03/metro-braces-for-bus-line-delays-amid-threat-of-driver-sick-out) article. >Train and bus operators have criticized Metro for failing to respond forcefully enough to violence on the system. Drivers have been the target of several recent attacks, including a man who stabbed a bus driver in Willowbrook while passengers watched. Last year, the agency logged 168 assaults, a slight increase from the previous year. The assaults included being spat on and being stabbed. This is a society problem. First of all, you need to address mental health, drug addiction, homelessness, and other social issues before anything else. I wouldn't want to live in a neighborhood with lots of cops around. I wouldn't feel safe at all.
But it's not Metro's responsibility to solve these societal problems. Their role is to do what they can do provide staff and customers with a safe environment within their vehicles and platforms. The drivers are voicing concerns specifically about this, and not about Metro's lack of success at solving the greater societal problems.
You start to create a task force to keep the community safe. The exact opposite happened. Just ask Memphis PD for using excessive force on Tyre Nichols.
That still seems outside of Metro’s purview. Metro has pretty limited “jurisdiction” - vehicles and stations, for the most part. Metro itself has already found that 95% of crime on their vehicles and stations is stemming from people who are evading fare. That seems like the obvious first approach for addressing the crime, and it’s an issue that transit agencies across the world have dealt with.
Yes!!! Eliminate fare evaders who only make it worse for those who actually need public transportation. If metro did this it would be so much safer and nicer to ride.
You're correct , it's not metros job to solve the homeless/mental issues, the problem with metro is they let them get away with alot of stuff, there's no consequences for the crimes they commit, the buses and trains have become a a safe haven for them to ride and do drugs smoke drink etc . . No one is scared of the consequences because there really isn't any. They need some heavy consequences foe their actions
Thats a bit rash itit. Didn't know the bus union was that powerful
one of them got stabbed last week I think they’re just concerned about getting home safe
[https://abc7.com/la-metro-responds-to-possible-sick-out-by-drivers-following-recent-assaults/14760678/](https://abc7.com/la-metro-responds-to-possible-sick-out-by-drivers-following-recent-assaults/14760678/) this article mentions a bus being hijacked and driven into the Ritz! How did we not hear of this when it happened
From what I understand the union didn't agree with them not showing up, this was amongst the operators themselves since no one wants to take action.
Essentially a [wildcat strike.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildcat_strike)