A driver who was attacked by a passenger on her route says she wants more done to protect bus drivers around the valley.
"I've been spit on, I've had drinks thrown at me," Paula White said..
White says she has seen a lot in her 20-plus year career driving a bus, but the most frightening incident came seven weeks ago on her last run of the night.
"All I remember is getting hit," White said.
She says she was ready to pull away from the stop at Lake Mead and Hollywood boulevards when her attacker got on.
“I actually get out of my seat and tell him to come on through the back door. I am having an asthma attack and the cigarette smoke that you had will make me sicker," White said.
White says that didn't calm him.
"I'm walking up to the seat he is coming behind me and he is yelling and cursing," White said.
That's when White says she notified supervisors.
"I pushed my panic button," White said.
At that point White says she got off the bus to get away from the altercation.
She says she sat down on the curb, but the verbal assault continued and even escalated as she tried to stand up.
"All I remember is getting hit," White said. "We fought for a while and during that time I remember yelling, help don't let me die."
White says the man waited around and was arrested. Court records show he pleaded to misdemeanor battery and was given a suspended sentence.
White is now on light duty and says she had another run in with the suspect on Friday at the Downtown Transit Center.
She says if he is still allowed to ride the bus, there needs to be more protection for drivers.
"On routes that are known for being dangerous routes, there needs to be more security," White said.
Action News reached out the RTC and got a call from the contractor that deals with drivers. They said driver and passenger safety are their number one concern and they are continuing to look into the incidents.
