“Sadly the operator is NOT being well taken care of 😥 he needs more counseling and more time off, he has PTSD and can’t sleep at night, yet he’s required to continue driving,” the friend wrote. The intolerance level has gone up, and unfortunately our operators are having to deal with that.”Īfter the incident, the driver’s friend and coworker wrote online about the way she felt he was being treated. “(Assaults) went up during COVID, and it hasn’t stopped,” Arky explained. We’re upset about it, but at the same time – I can’t say that we’re shocked by it either.”Īrky said his lack of surprise comes from the way he’s witnessed society devolve over the past few years. “This man didn’t deserve this,” Arky said. He was a new employee, his first time being the victim of violent crime as a UTA operator. The bullets did not hit the driver, but he was scared. They believe the suspect was driving either a silver or white Land Rover Freelander with a cargo carrier on top.
Officers said they believe the shooter, who has yet to be identified, was angry because they couldn’t get out of the Burger King parking lot on 3300 South and Highland Drive. UTA policy prohibits employees from speaking with the media.Īccording to UTA police, someone shot “five bullets” into a UTA bus on February 10, 2022. Some of the workers said they were afraid to lose their job. In preparing this report, FOX 13 News has quietly spoken with numerous UTA employees, none of whom agreed to be interviewed on camera. UTA is a great place to work, and I’m not just saying that because I work there.” “Our number one priority every day is safety,” said UTA spokesperson Carl Arky. There were only six reports of assault against an employee in 2018, according to a spreadsheet provided by UTA. FOX 13 News arrived at the figure by cross-referencing data provided by UTA and the UTA Police Department. Just 75 of the 150 known cases were reported to UTA police.īecause UTA does not keep a comprehensive database of assaults on employees, tracking cases can be difficult. The disparity has left drivers wanting to know why UTA continues to advertise itself as safe.īy our count, there have been 150 reports of assault against a UTA employee from January 2020 through April 7, 2022. UTA ridership has dropped 61% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but assaults on UTA employees have grown exponentially. SALT LAKE CITY - For months, the FOX 13 Investigates team has been studying violent crimes on Utah Transit Authority trains and buses.
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