Transit unions and operators press Congress for stronger worker protections after rise in assaults

Union leaders and transit agency officials told the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit that assaults and threats against transit workers have grown in recent years and require federal policy and funding changes.

Greg Regan, representing the Transportation Trades Department, AFL‑CIO, said transit workers have faced a “scourge of violent assaults” and urged Congress to require physical protections for operators. Regan said agencies need “physical barriers that fully enclose their workstation to protect them.”

Reason Foundation transportation analyst Brooke Feigenbaum summarized the public safety trend with data drawn during testimony: “The number of assault related injuries in US public transit rose by 232 percent in the last 10 years,” she said, and listed recent violent incidents on several systems to underline the stakes.

Witnesses recommended a layered approach: improved data collection, worker-led safety committees, more uniformed presence in stations and on vehicles, operator de‑escalation training, better camera coverage and fare‑gate design, and clearer FTA guidance enabling agencies to use federal resources efficiently for safety. Greg Regan also proposed strengthening workforce development tied to capital programs so training is funded alongside equipment purchases.

Committee members pressed witnesses on how to translate data into enforceable agency changes and discussed statutory and programmatic fixes that could be included in the next surface transportation bill. The subcommittee record remains open for additional submissions.