WASHINGTON (7News) — In the wake of a brutal assault on a Metrobus driver last month in Silver Spring, Metro and the ATU Local 689 union announced Thursday that the transit service will no longer require bus drivers to quote the fare to passengers unless they are fully protected by an enclosed shield.
The union adds that Metro “has committed to invest in retrofitting its bus fleet with fully enclosed workstations, with the entire fleet expected to be equipped by May 31, 2027.”
The change comes just over a month after a rider repeatedly punched a bus driver on Aug. 1 on Route 29 in the Four Corners area of Silver Spring. Although Metro pointed out other factors it said were at play, the union said it was the driver quoting the fare that caused the attacker to become angry and violent…