Union Calls For Police Presence On MTA Bus Route After Latest In String Of Aerosol Can Assaults On Drivers

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus driver was rushed to the hospital after his window was smashed in what authorities say is the latest in a string of disturbing attacks against MTA employees.

The most recent attack was the third time a bus driver had been assaulted on the B-15 route in Brooklyn in less than a week and on Monday, the union representing drivers called on the NYPD to better protect them.

"We obviously have a public safety menace on the loose," the Transport Workers Union said in a statement sent to CBS2.

In Monday's attack, the TWU says the driver on the B-15 bus was pulled over at a stop near Fulton Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard when someone came up to his window. The driver opened it to see if the man needed help and shut it when the man pulled out an aerosol spray can, according to the union.

The driver shut the window but the man started banging on it with the can, which the union says shattered the glass. The driver was rushed to a nearby hospital, but the alleged assailant ran off.

Bridgett Baker is a retired bus driver, and says she isn't surprised by the recent string of violence.

"Glad I don't have to deal with this," she said. "I've been attacked, spit at, people on bikes they get the chain and break the mirror."

Two incidents happened within hours of each other along the B-15 route last Thursday. In each case, police say a passenger onboard sprayed the bus drivers with an unknown substance before running away. Both drivers were treated at local hospitals and released.

In response, the union has demanded a dedicated police presence on buses along the route until the person is caught to remedy the "deep concern for worker safety."

"We've been working closely with the police and the union on these attacks since last week and are providing assistance to catch this perpetrator and any others that may be out there. We will not stand idly by while our colleagues are attacked," Transit Authority President Andy Byford said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the MTA is planning to only run buses on the B-15 route that are equipped with cameras until the suspect is caught.