Bus operators for Metro — led by leaders from their union, ATU Local 689 — recently received a safety alert addressed to drivers.
The alert’s message read, “For your own safety, do not quote the fare,” offering guidance that stands in opposition to a new policy invoked on May 12 by Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke.
To provide an explanation for this alert and the ATU Local 689’s stance, union representatives, along with several bus operators, held a press conference on Aug. 12 at the Silver Spring Metro Station.
The underlying issue is an escalation of safety conflicts between bus riders and drivers after operators state the new required greeting: “Hello, the fare is $2.25.”
The union, which strongly opposes the rule, argues that it escalates tensions, increases driver assaults, and in some cases, even puts riders in harm’s way. Sometimes it begins with an exchange of choice words, including several expletives, from a passenger who either can’t or won’t pay the fare. But there are cases in which drivers have been spit on, doused with liquids, and even physically attacked.
These kinds of responses we cannot condone, nor should anyone else.
On Aug. 1, a bus operator who stated the fare policy and mentioned that carrying open alcohol was against regulations was punched repeatedly by a masked passenger while still operating the bus. One can only imagine what could have occurred.
WMATA officials say they plan to upgrade buses and install fully enclosed driver shields across their entire fleet. To that we say, like Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams sang in their 1978 song, “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late.”
Bus operators and Metro passengers simply want to see the region’s public transportation system work safely and efficiently. Clarke and his colleagues should take a closer look at their contentious fare-quoting policy and consider the potential dangers it poses.
Further, they’d be wise to review the testimonies of bus operators and the statistics of driver assaults from 10 years ago when the policy of fare quoting was eliminated.
One assault on a bus operator is one too many. But with 152 assaults involving bus operators reported by Metro in FY 2026, fare evasion should be the least of their concerns.
WMATA should dig into its pockets now, not later, and place transit police officers along bus routes that have a history of attacks.
If safety is their primary concern, don’t talk about it — be about it.
