Spokane Transit Authority bus driver assaulted by passenger

A Spokane Transit Authority driver was assaulted Friday morning as he was teaching a new driver the ropes in north Spokane.

A driver in training was behind the wheel of the bus driving Route 22 on Northwest Boulevard around 7 a.m. when a departing passenger punched the experienced driver who was doing the training, STA operations director Steve Blaska said. There did not appear to be a confrontation before the assault, he said. Police were called, Blaska said.

“He was arrested within 30 minutes,” he said.

The incident was captured on video surveillance. “We have audio and video on all of our buses and our transit facilities,” he said.

The driver was taken to a hospital for an evaluation and was doing fine Friday afternoon, Blaska said.

Thomas Leighty, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1015, said he is concerned about a recent uptick in aggressive behavior toward drivers, though he said physical assaults are rare. Recently, there was a road rage incident in which a driver blocked an STA bus with his vehicle.

“He broke the glass in the door trying to get in and get at our driver,” he said. “The drivers are wanting some sort of protections against being assaulted and attacked. I’ve got a lot of drivers really upset about how STA has handled some of these previous incidents.”

Leighty suggested STA add some sort of shield that drivers could pull into place if they feel threatened. “That way, it offers the driver some sort of protection without sacrificing customer service,” he said.

Blaska said STA has worked to create a response procedure for assaults and other safety concerns.

“The safety of the public and our employees is our top concern,” he said. “We do have a very aggressive safety program.”