Spitting and MTA bus drivers

That is bad. I have seen people yell at bus drivers, but spitting at them. As for paying them, I think the MTA should cut their salaries in half. Maybe if they knew they were not going to get the big salaries, they would end up staying on the job. I really think many of the bus drivers who do that are just faking trauma so they don't have to report to work. Driving a bus is a lot of stress and the rules MTA employs does not make things easier.

@hhusted I think it is a tough job to navigate a MTA bus on the city's roads, why I still remember when I mistakenly pressed the bell for a stop and didnt get off I was ticked off by the driver. My husband who was with me on the bus then explained that the drivers have to maneuver the bus to stop at a particular bus stop and if then nobody gets off its a wasted effort.
I did apologize to the driver while getting off and have never yelled at or abused a driver during all my time in NYC ..in fact I am quite friendly with a regular who does the cross town route near my home. He has known me since the time I used to visit my husband in NYC before our wedding and never fails to indulge in social chit chat when he sees me. I guess in other parts of the city some folk don't treat bus drivers with the same kind of respect and perhaps that's why they take the time off that they do.. also since its 'paid' time off they have nothing to lose..

@Uptowngirl: Yes. When I enter the bus, I always say hello to the bus driver. Sometimes I get a response, while other times I don't.

Spitting is horrible and demeanor, sure, but....three months? For a spitting? That seems a little ridiculous when people who are sick/injured hardly get so much...

Cute article, uptowngirl. I hadn't realized loogies could inspire such terror and devastation that drivers need to actually take time off after getting "assaulted" in that way.

Somehow I am not surprised that bus drivers get "spat" upon. But I am going to have to agree that taking so much time off after such an incident is ridiculous.