'Panic buttons to nowhere': L.A. bus drivers say safety measures can't protect them from violent attacks

Panic buttons in some Los Angeles shuttle buses connect to no one, plexiglass shields around drivers were not intended to stop physical attacks, and union officials representing drivers say other safety measures touted to protect drivers are just not cutting it. “There has to be more,” said Lourdes Garcia, secretary-treasurer and principal officer of Teamsters Local 572, the union representing the city’s DASH shuttle drivers. “It’s the time to just be honest about what’s going on.”A series of violent attacks has raised concerns about the safety of bus drivers, prompting the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to declare an emergency over the attacks. Advertisement During a June 5 L.A. City Council Transportation Committee meeting, L.A. Department of Transportation officials touted panic buttons on DASH buses, plexiglass surrounding drivers, training, video cameras and radios as measures to keep drivers safe. But drivers and union officials say many of the safety fe...