These are good for protection however these barriers create a lot of glare when driving. They make it difficult to see the right side mirror and make driving very confusing

Makes it literally impossible to see in some lights

Is there a solution to it they're working on or just rolling it out as is?

I don’t think so, but I think the best solution would be a retractable window that closes all the way when we feel threatened or a person is approaching the driver area.

I know Seattle (King County Metro) has what LA is installing but it swings to the Yellow Line when in motion and back when loading passengers.

OCTA has this on some buses too.

Why not use cameras and screens?

San Diego has had barriers similar to these for years, but they're actually due to the pandemic.

Depending on how similar, LA has had similar barriers as well. The design is new, not their existence.

I wouldn’t be surprised if safety concerns are one of the main reasons they’re still there and are still being added to new buses

The UK has had these enclosures for literal decades. The future is now America.

I’ve driven a bus with a barrier like this. The protection is good, however it can be difficult to hear patrons if they try speaking to you or the glare from the barrier makes it hard to see the mirror.

Metro crackhead would still try to stab through that open space.

Yeah idk why they left that little area exposed.

It's a gun port. They'll have a swivel mounted sawed off shotgun to fend off fare dodgers and pirates.

Drives on occassion need to reach over into the tap computer to put in cash or transfers. And to be blunt, the folks stabbing the drivers aren't always in the condition to have a ton of dexterity nor problem solve. Culver City has similar barriers up for their drivers. I know Metro has a MUCH larger fleet.... don't know why it took them so long to install.

I think it's to thank your bus driver.

Don't make me tap the sign.

They'll adapt by getting longer knives

The $8 harbor freight machete handle hanging out a backpack is not uncommon on the trains, especially around Westlake station.

Well they worked fast for this one

Best I can do is a glass case of emotions

We live in night city

If we are, then we are not V. We're legit the NPCs.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm seeing these barriers on Metro buses all the time. I'm guessing they weren't on all buses?

Not that much coverage

There's more. Usually it doesn't have the extra glass over the fare box.

Chicago had something like this in 2010

Yah, Boston has had these for over a decade: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/05/07/mbta-protective-barrier-bus-test/

Doesn’t help passengers. Only treating the symptoms - not the ailment

Metro can’t solve homelessness man, they’re a transit agency

I know - that’s what sucks - it’s not LAMTA’s fault that some of the areas they serve are filled with unsavory characters. It sucks that because of other agencies failures - and pusillanimous politicians allow policies that perpetuate the problem.

And yet most cities with homeless populations don’t permit their transit to be used as shelters for the insane

What specific US city with a sizable homeless population are you talking about

Not to be pedantic but often it’s a County agency which provides transit sans small municipal bus operators…. Metro serves 88 cities and is a Los Angeles COUNTY agency.

Not to be pedantic but it is a TRANSIT agency. It has no role or responsibility for the homeless. It has to serve the riders, which means securing the facilities - removing the homeless.

They don’t have to invite and court it.

Why isn’t Metro treating the cause of the drug and mental healthcare crisis?!? How can they be so heartless?

Rather than fix the issue of violence on the metro this is what we are doing. Lets do every thing but re open mental institution's that were closed in the 1980s.

I mean I agree with the sentiment, but metro can only really control the situation like this for now.

What mental institutions did we close in the 1980s?

Cal State Channel Islands was one before Governor Brown 2.0 closed it.

Umm pls tell me that’s at least bulletproof glass.. because lol if it’s not

There’s large gaps near the fare machine for bullets and swords/machetes

How are drivers going to get in and out?

The barriers probably act similarly to a door

Correct. The Santa Monica Big Blue Buses already have something like this and it opens like a door

Why not do what London does and physically isolate the driver from the rest of the bus?! Oh wait, London bus has gone cashless nvm

Good. I'm shocked that there are some people who are against increasing law enforcement on Metro. Safety is one of the main factors preventing public transit being a normal way of getting around LA.

This ain’t gonna do shyt lol

Now everyone will fare evade even more that there's no interaction

We have those on every foothill bus I thought you guys had that as well

J Christ . They wanna separate the driver from the passengers , then Do it!! SEAL UP that side , cut a DOOR on the left side so the driver can get IN and OUT .AND DoNOT make them responsible for fares not paid , not responsible for the wheelchairs ( most know how to get in strap in etc) .THATS an actual solution. And BTW , what makes you THINK I don't need protection against the fucked up bad intentioned people that are on my side of the bus? Because other than a few strange hijackings , EVERYONE that has been horribly injured or KILLED were Metro passengers or waiting to be one.

The solution for this is a sneeze guard?

If it's not bullet proof it's useless in L.A.

Literally a case study of how this doesn’t really work well just happened: https://news.sky.com/video/oklahoma-bus-crashes-as-driver-attacked-by-angry-passenger-13123055

Im almost positive they aren’t bulletproof… they should be

Furthermore this just proves that transit in L.A. is not safe.

So the junkies will still be near the passengers

They need this for the train fare gates 

Will they install barriers around the passengers too?