Bus Drivers, Worried About Working Conditions, Use Super Bowl for Leverage

Minneapolis bus drivers who have been victims of 72 felony assaults since 2010, have long sought to improve what they call unsafe working conditions.

1 minute read

December 23, 2017, 7:00 AM PST

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mark Herreid / Shutterstock

After considering a strike during the week of the Super Bowl, members of Minneapolis's bus drivers union are now voting on a new contract. The Transit Workers Union leadership has recommended to its members that they approve the new contract, after seeking to improve issues related to bathroom breaks, safety and pay.

Along with a pay increase, the new deal will include the building of partitions on buses to protect drivers from thousands of assaults that take place every year. "Other transit systems across the country have also added partitions to protect drivers. They’ve been installed in New York City, Chicago and on many buses in Washington, D.C., among other cities," Eric Roper reports for the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Friday, December 15, 2017 in Minneapolis Star Tribune

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

A cluster of wind turbines beneath a stormy sky, above a forest where the leaves are beginning to change colors.

5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project

Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.

September 16 - Inside Climate News

People boarding a bus on Maryland's Orange Route.

Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project

The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.

September 16 - Mass Transit

A brick building with a circular sign with the Airbnb logo hanging off of it.

Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin

The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.

September 16 - Smart Cities Dive

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.