Practices to Protect Bus Operators from Passenger Assault (2011)

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118 APPENDIX C Survey Instrument To help improve the security and safety of transit bus operations, the APTA Bus Safety Committee has initiated a TCRP Synthesis project on Practices to Protect Bus Operators from Passenger Assaults. The main goal of the project is to identify bus operator assault prevention and mitigation practices. Please complete this survey on this important topic by January 31. A copy of the Final Synthesis Report will be available to all interested transit agencies. Assaults are defined in this survey as overt physical and verbal acts by a passenger that interferes with the mission of a bus operator, which is to complete their scheduled run safely, and adversely affects the safety of the operators and customers. Please respond to the questions to the best of your knowledge. Contact TRB Consultants Dr. Nakanishi at Nakanishi@transresearch.net or Lt. Fleming at Wf1019@netscape.net should you have any questions regarding this survey. Survey options: TCRP Synthesis Survey on Practices to Protect Bus Operators from Passengers Assaults Complete this survey ONLINE at: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/219161/tcrp-bus OR Complete this survey and EMAIL back to Nakanishi@transresearch.net or Wf1019@netscape.net OR Print out and complete the survey, and FAX to Dr. Nakanishi at (347) 572-0494. Fax cover page is not necessary. OR Print out and complete the survey, and MAIL to Dr. Nakanishi at: Nakanishi Research and Consulting, LLC 93-40 Queens Blvd, Suite 6A Rego Park, NY 11374 Survey Introduction

119 1. First Name: Last Name: Title: Agency/Organization: Street Address: City: State/Province: Zip/Postal Code: Country: Email Address: Phone Number: Respondent Information

120 Please tell us about your Agency's surface operations: 2. Bus Fleet Size (Select one.) __>1,000 Peak Buses __250–1,000 Peak Buses __<250 Peak Buses 3. Total Passenger Trips by Bus for FY2008 or most recent fiscal year (Select one.) __0–49,999,999 __50,000,000–99,999,999 __100,000,000–499,999,999 __500,000,000 and above Surface Operations Characteristics 4. Who is the primary security provider for your bus operations? (Select all that apply.) __Transit Police Department __Local, County, and/or State/Province Police __In-house Security Personnel __Contracted Security Personnel Surface Operations Security __Transit Employees/Bus Operators (specifically trained to perform security function) __Combination of the above __Other, please specify___________________________________________________

121 5. Does your Agency have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place that offer operators and supervisors guidelines for responding to assaults? (Select one.) __Yes __No __Not certain 6. Are bus operators instructed by the Agency to enforce fare payment? (Select all that apply.) __Bus operators are instructed to state the required fare. __Bus operators are instructed to stop the bus until the fare is paid. __Bus operators are instructed to summon supervision, police or security. __Bus operators are instructed to ask the passenger to exit the bus, if the fare is not paid. __Bus operators are instructed to use their judgment. __Not certain __Other, please specify___________________________________________________ 7. Are bus operators instructed by the Agency to enforce rule violations other than fare payment? (Select all that apply.) __Bus operators are instructed to state the rule being violated. __Bus operators are instructed to stop the bus until the rule violation has ceased. __Bus operators are instructed to summon supervision, police or security. __Bus operators are instructed to ask the passenger to exit the bus, if the rule violation continues. __Bus operators are instructed to use their judgment. __Not certain __Other, please specify_________ Characteristics of Bus Operator Assaults 8. Please indicate all definitions of assault used by your Agency. (Select all that apply.) __Simple assault (e.g, kicking, punching) __Aggravated assault involving weapons __Projectiles thrown at the bus __Projectiles thrown inside the bus (including liquids) __Sexual assault __Spitting __Verbal threats/intimidation/harassment without weapons __Verbal threats/intimidation/harassment involving weapons __Other, please specify___________________________________________________

122 __Assaults due to operator race/gender/size __Assaults involving weapons __Assaults involving spitting __Assaults involving projectiles thrown at the bus __Assaults involving projectiles thrown inside the bus (including liquids) __Sexual assaults __Verbal threats/intimidation/harassment __Other, please specify___________________________________________________ 10. Which of the following have significantly contributed to bus operator assaults? (Select all that apply.) __Attempting to aid a passenger __Cash transactions __Fare enforcement __Other rule enforcement __Gang-related violence __Individuals with mental illness __Intoxicated passengers or drug users __Routes operating in high-crime areas __School/youth-related violence __Service problems (delays, service reductions, etc.) __Other, please specify___________________________________________________ 11. How many bus operator assaults have occurred in the past year? Approximate answer is fine. _______________________________________________________________________ 12. When do most bus operator assaults occur? (Select up to 3 time periods.) __AM Peak __Midday __PM Peak __Evening/late night/early morning __School dismissal times __During school runs __No discernible pattern 9. Which of the following bus operator assault types is or has recently been problematic for your Agency? (Select all that apply.) __Assaults while vehicle is in motion __Assaults in the course of a robbery

123 13. Please indicate the training your bus operators undergo and how often they receive it. Training Frequency, please select one A t t im e o f em pl oy m en t A t t im e o f em pl oy m en t & pe rio di ca lly th er ea fte r A t t im e o f em pl oy m en t & w he n sc he du led b y su pe rv isi on Ot he r N ot P ro vi de d Conflict mitigation __ __ __ __ __ Customer relations __ __ __ __ __ Diversity training __ __ __ __ __ Self-defense (no weapons or tools) __ __ __ __ __ Self-defense (using pepper gels, kubotans, etc.) __ __ __ __ __ Other, please specify __ __ __ __ __ _____________________ ________________________ 14. How does your Agency assist operators when they become victims of assaults? (Select all that apply.) __Encourage operators to report assaults __Implementation of work resumption plans __Provision of counseling __Provision of legal support (courtroom training, legal assistance) __Trained supervisors assist operators __Other, please specify___________________________________________________ 15. Does your Agency collect data on operator assaults? If "yes," please specify what data are collected and how the data are used. (Select one.) __Yes __No __Not certain 16. To which entities does your Agency report bus operator assaults? (Select all that apply.) __Transit police __Local police __National Transit Database (NTD) __National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) __Agency does not record/report assault data __Other, please specify___________________________________________________ Bus Operator Assault Prevention and Mitigation Practices

124 17. Do your city/state/province statutes have more severe punishments for assaults against bus operators? (Select one.) __Yes __No __Not certain 18. Which methods are being used or have recently been used by your Agency to address violence against bus operators? (Select all that apply.) __Community outreach __Cooperation with law enforcement __High visibility prosecution of offenders __Lobbying for more stringent penalties __Public/passenger awareness initiatives __School outreach __Does not engage in programs of this kind __Other, please specify___________________________________________________ 19. Which of the following security methods does your Agency use on board your buses? (Select all that apply.) __Police patrols __Security personnel __Plainclothes officers __Fare enforcement officers or personnel __Volunteers (e.g., Guardian Angels) __None of the above __Other, please specify___________________________________________________

125 20. Which of the following security measures does your Agency use on board your buses? (Select all that apply.) __Assault prevention screens/partial enclosures __Automatic vehicle location (AVL) / GPS systems __Compartment/full enclosures for operators __Crime Prevention through Environmental Design-CPTED __DNA kits __Electronic signage/distress signals visible to other drivers __Radio/phone communications __Real-time video streaming (to dispatch/control ctr/police cruisers) __Real-time audio streaming (to dispatch/control ctr/police cruisers) __Silent alarm/panic button __Video surveillance/video recording __Audio surveillance/audio recording __Other, please specify___________________________________________________ 21. Are self-defense tools issued to bus operators? If "yes," please specify the tools that have been issued to operators. (Select one.) __Yes __No __Not certain 22. Are bus operators allowed to carry self-defense tools (e.g., pepper gels) not issued by the Agency? If "yes," please specify which ones are allowed. (Select one.) __Yes __No __Not certain 23. Please indicate which hiring methods your Agency uses to hire bus operators. (Select all that apply.) __Job aptitude test __Psychometric/personality test __Video-based screening __Interview __Driving record check __Background check __Other, please specify___________________________________________________

126 24. As a result of the violence against your bus operators, which issues have your bus operators or bus operations been experiencing? (Select all that apply.) __Injury-related claims __Operators showing increased anxiety/stress __Absenteeism/diminished productivity __Recruitment issues __Union grievances 25. Please list up to the 5 most effective measures your Agency has implemented to address bus operator assaults, in order of their effectiveness. Also, please indicate the relative cost of each measure. 26. Please provide any other comments you may have about bus operator assault prevention and mitigation practices. Observations about your Agency's experience with specific measures would be appreciated.