Community Corner

MBTA Launches 'Don't Touch The Driver' Campaign

There have been 28 reported assaults on MBTA employees during the first four months of 2013.

The MBTA wants the public to know that if they attack a driver while working, there will be serious consequences.

The MBTA’s new “Don’t Touch The Driver” public relations campaign features posters on the ceilings and backs of chairs inside buses depicting hands in handcuffs and messages warning that an attacker will be sought after, arrested and prosecuted.

“Violence toward a bus driver is against the law,” one poster says. “We will prosecute.”

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The campaign, which includes a new recorded message issued by T General Manager Beverly Scott at T stations issued, follows the most recent attack, which took place in Dorchester where a group of teenagers flagged down a bus and then proceeded to attack the driver.

There have been 28 reported assaults on MBTA employees during the first four months of 2013, according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

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Scott issued the following letter, released to the public Monday, to all MBTA employees in April:

Dear fellow T employee,

I want you to know how deeply troubled I am by several recent brazen attacks on our employees in the course of them doing their jobs, and to let you know that we will not sit by idly and let these egregious acts go unanswered. Certainly, getting assaulted is not part of any T employee’s job. In the latest incident, one of our bus operators was attacked by a large group of teenagers who flagged down his bus and assaulted him. Our public cares and we appreciate their support in helping to identify and apprehend these assailants. Fortunately, our operator is recovering, and two of the attackers have been arrested. But this incident reminds us that we must proactively inform our customers that an assault on a T employee is against the law, and that offenders will be prosecuted. Front-line MBTA employees are particularly vulnerable to such attacks. I assure you that management and labor are committed to working collaboratively to solve this problem, and we will be working together with departments across the T on preventative and mitigating measures. In the coming weeks we will roll out an Employee Safety Program to reduce the potential for attacks. We will continue equipping more buses with video cameras to deter and record attacks, and will assess the feasibility of installing partitions to separate drivers from passengers. In addition, we will expand our training to give bus operators and other employees the tools they need to de-escalate potentially violent situations and protect themselves. A Public Service Announcement will air in all T stations warning customers that assaulting a T employee is a serious crime—one that they should think twice about committing. That message will be reinforced on our buses and in our stations with car cards and seat-back decals. Meanwhile, we will continue pushing for legislation at the statehouse to strengthen the law for assaulting an operator. One of our mantras at the T is “Safety is our number 1 priority.’’ Foremost, this includes the safety of our customers and all our employees, from the front lines to the garages. So, let’s work together to make sure the public understands that we stand together in this endeavor and that we mean what we say. I thank each one of you for your tireless efforts, and for the commitment, dedication, and professionalism you display every day.

Sincerely, Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D.

General Manager and Rail & Transit Administrator


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