The city is one of several aiming to improve driver safety.
Philadelphia will test new bulletproof enclosures on eight of its buses in the coming months, a move spurred partially by the fatal shooting of a SEPTA driver by a passenger in October, 2023.
Violent attacks have plagued the system in recent years, U.S. News reports, “including one in which eight high school students waiting to board a SEPTA bus after class were wounded by gunshots from suspects who jumped from a car and opened fire.” The article quotes John Samuelsen, international president of the Transport Workers Union of America, calling attacks on bus drivers “the dirty secret of public transit in America.” New York City and Philadelphia see over 20 assaults against operators per week combined.
The enclosures, which cost between $15,000 and $18,000 to install, will be tested and adjusted based on driver feedback.
FULL STORY: Philadelphia Tests Bullet-Resistant Glass Enclosures Aimed at Protecting Bus Drivers
Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems
SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.
FTA Directive Addresses Violence Against Transit Workers
Verbal and physical assaults against transit operators have grown alarmingly in the last decade.
How Transit Architecture Impacts Real and Perceived Safety
More than a third of Americans believe major transit systems are too unsafe to ride. The built environment can change that.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association