Bus drivers to share safety concerns with Durham officials

Name: Bus drivers to share safety concerns with Durham officials
Uploaded: 2021-09-21T23:59:36.000Z
Duration: 2 min 23 s
Description: Police are now checking for problems on GoDurham buses after two drivers were assaulted this month while trying to enforce the requirement that passengers wear masks.

Police are now checking for problems on GoDurham buses after two drivers were assaulted this month while trying to enforce the requirement that passengers wear masks.

Posted 9/21/2021, 11:59:36 PM

Y, READ MORE ABOUT THEIR

PROGRAM ON WRAL TECH WIRE.

>>> DURHAM NOW SEEING AN UP

TICK OF ASSAULTS AGAINST CITY

BUS DRIVERS THE REASON

PASSENGERS ARE LASHING OUT,

RIGHT HERE.

THEY DON'T WANT TO FOLLOW THE

MASK MANDATE, A STORY YOU'LL

SEE ONLY ON WRAL, DURHAM REPORT

IS SARAH KRUEGER IS LIVE AT THE

BUS TERMINAL DOWNTOWN, TO

EXPLAIN WHAT DRIVERS AND THE

CITY ARE DOING IN RESPONSE,

SARAH?

>> DAVID, THE BUS DRIVERS ARE

TAKING THEIR CONCERNS TO CITY

COUNCIL, TWO OF THEM HAVE

SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AT

THURSDAY'S MEETING, AS FAR AS

WHAT THE CITY IS DOING, THEY

HAVE ALREADY INSTALLED SOME

PHYSICAL PROTECTION INSIDE SOME

OF THESE BUSES.

>> TOMITA WALKER AND PRINCIPAL

PATERSON ARE THE TWO GO DURHAM

DRIVERS TO ADDRESS CITY COUNCIL

ABOUT THE PROBLEM.

BY PHONE, PATTER SOUTHERN TOLD

ME WHAT'S CAUSING RIOTERS TO

LASH OUT, MOST OF IT IS MASK

WEARING.

THEY GET ON THE BUS AND THEY

DON'T WANT TO WEAR MASKS.

BUT WHEN YOU ASK THEM TO PUT

THEIR MASK ON, THEY JUST WENT

OFF.

>> I DON'T THINK THAT THEY

DESERVE TO BE ATTACKED FOR ANY

REASON.

>> PASSENGERS ARE STUNNED TO

LEARN WHAT DRIVERS ARE FACING.

>> DRIVERS OR PASSENGERS SHOULD

RESPECT THE DRIVERS.

>> BUS DRIVERS HAVE TO BE

STRICT, FOR HAVING PASSENGERS

HAVING MASKS ON, THEY ARE

ENDANGERING THEIR LIVES, TAKING

THIS COVID HOME TO THEIR KIDS,

THEIR LOVED ONES, THE CITY'S

DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION

SHAWN EGAN SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN

THREE ASSAULTS ON GO DURHAM

DRIVERS IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS.

TWO OF WHICH WERE JUST THIS

MONTH, THE MOST RECENT, HE

SAYS, RESULTED IN INJURIES TO

THE DRIVER.

EGAN WROTE A MEMO TO THE CITY

MANAGER DETAILS STEPPING

UNDERWAY TO IMPROVE SAFETY,

SAYS FOUR BUSES, NOW HAVE

PARTITIONS, BUT THIS ONE, WITH

THE PLAN TO ADD THEM TO MORE

BUSES.

AS OF LAST WEEK, HE SAYS,

POLICE ARE PATROLLING ROUTES

THAT HAVE HAD PROBLEMS, THE

CITY IS ALSO LOOKING AT NEW

TECHNOLOGY THAT WOULD HELP

CUSTOMERS AND DRIVERS REPORT

CRIMES WHILE ON BOARD AND AT

BUS STOPS.

>> GO DURHAM HAS A SHORTAGE OF

BUS DRIVERS RIGHT NOW, DRIVERS

SAY ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WITH

RECRUITING SAFETY CONCERNS, SO

THIS IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THE

CITY IS WORKING TO ADDRESS,

DAVID.

>> SARAH KRUEGER REPORTING LIVE