Friday, Sept. 12, 2003 | 10:07 a.m.
The Citizens Area Transit bus system is safe for both passengers and drivers, a transit official told the Regional Transportation Commission board Thursday.
RTC General Manager Jacob Snow said new cameras being installed in buses will help make the buses safer. Some cameras are up and running on the CAT system's 50 routes.
Many of the buses are running without working cameras, however, because there are no spare parts for the 3-year-old video systems, which were purchased from a company that is now defunct.
Snow said that in 90 days the RTC will start installing new cameras. A federal grant will provide $2.5 million for new cameras in all of the CAT buses.
Some drivers and former drivers criticized the agency and its contractor, Chicago-based ATC, for failing to have working cameras in all buses. The criticism intensified after a passenger assaulted a driver last month, putting the driver in the hospital with serious injuries.
"Eighty percent of camera systems on the buses are not working," said former CAT driver Ben Carter. "When will this be fixed? There's a great bit of safety involved here.
"I don't think these buses should be allowed to leave the yard without these cameras working."
Carter is involved in a yearlong dispute with ATC. He was fired, along with two other drivers, after objecting to aspects of ATC's contract. Carter and the other drivers are fighting their dismissal in arbitration before the National Labor Relations Board.
Steve Mora, a driver fired at the same time, told the RTC board that five drivers have been assaulted in the last seven weeks.
Snow and RTC Transit Operations Administrator June Devoll, however, said they know of only one driver who has been hurt this year, Herbert Burns in the Aug. 30 assault.
RTC and ATC officials said they will not discuss in detail what policies, procedures and equipment are in place on the buses to keep drivers and passengers safe. However, Snow said one new piece of equipment is helping -- a digital radio system that allows drivers to push a button and automatically, and quietly, ask for help.
All buses are equipped with the signaling device, Snow said.
Devoll said the system does not, like the earlier traditional radio system, have blind spots in the Las Vegas Valley, so any bus anywhere in the area can call for assistance.
ATC spokeswoman Valerie Michael said riders should know that the buses are safe.
"We want our passengers to feel that they are safe," she said. "We do not discuss specifics regarding safety policies and procedures ... But as it has (been) since the start of our contract, safety is our No. 1 issue."
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