Has your bus driver been Beat by a thug?

So.....I might be treading on some water that just might drown me.

When passengers bitch and moan to me about stuff that happens on the train, I usually nod my head and apologize on behalf of Regional Transit. Usually, this quells the rants and sometimes it only enrages people to the point that they attempt to assault me or something like that. More often than not, they are drunkards, and fall down to the concrete whilst swinging at my lovely face.

I'm one handsome train driver....

But, let me swerve back to the point.

Regional Transit contracts with both the City of Sacramento and the County of Sacramento for enforcement and protection of "every inch" of the transit system in Sacramento.

Um...yeah.

I have searched all over the web, including Sac PD Crime mapping, and Sac County Sheriff Crime mapping and I see incidents near, adjacent, even ON light rail platforms. Since they are folded into the UCR (Universal Crime Report) statistics, most people have no idea when or where the crime was committed. It's a numbers game, and RT plays the odds better than poker after dark on NBC..

Not suprising that I could find no specific information related to assaults, incidents or crimes committed against Bus operators.

I would guess, with relative accuracy that Bus drivers in Sacramento are Assaulted at a rate of 2 per week, at a minimum. Please recognize this is my non-scientific assertion as a bus driver in Sacramento.

My question is this.....

What is more important?

The mantra that the wheels on the bus move no matter what happens is long gone. If the safety of a bus driver is in question, so is that bus drivers passengers.

And...in the end.

Who is responsible for everything that happens on his or her coach?

The BUS OPERATOR.

Bravo?