Since the early weeks of the pandemic, bus drivers across the United States
have spoken out about anger and assaults from passengers, particularly when they try to enforce public health rules about social distancing and mask-wearing.
Just in the past month, bus drivers have been beaten after asking passengers to wear masks in San Francisco,
New York city, and in
Lubbock, Texas, where a bus driver was hit with a large wooden board and left bloody. A New York City driver reportedly left with a broken bone near his eye in July was one of
dozens of Covid-related violent incidents involving bus drivers in New York, according to The City, a local news outlet. In France, a
bus driver died after a brutal beating in early July, prompted once again by asking a group of passengers to put on their masks.