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TWC News: B15 Among Most Dangerous Bus Lines in CityPlay now
The fatal shooting on that Brooklyn bus sends a scare through riders who use the line every day, but it's hardly the first time there's been trouble on a B15. NY1's Jose Martinez filed the following report.
The bus line where a Brooklyn dad was gunned down by a bullet targeted for someone else is among the most dangerous in the city.
The B15 is number six on a Metropolitan Transportation Authority list of lines that are plagued by fights and assaults.
'It makes you not even want to take public transportation anymore,' said one person. 'I mean, it's really scary.'
Last year, the B15 served close to 23,000 riders a day, taking them through Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Brownsville and Howard Beach, among other neighborhoods, before reaching Kennedy Airport.
Riders say they shouldn't have to fear for their lives while riding a city bus.
'You should be able to ride a bus and go home safely to your family, so I'm saddened,' said one person.
'Scary, very scary,' said another. 'Getting up, going out to take care of business, you don't know what's going to happen. It's very scary.'
Angel Rojas is the first person shot on an MTA bus since January 31, when a 31-year-old man was shot in the hand following a confrontation with a panhandler on board a B12 in Brownsville.
According to MTA regulations, bus drivers must pull over, open all doors and call for help if there's any type of crime taking place on-board.
The deadly encounter on the B15 also renewed calls for boosting on-board safety measures. The Transport Workers Union said that the shooting highlights their long-running campaign to have more bus driver shields and cameras installed on buses, but the MTA told NY1 that this bus was equipped with cameras, whose contents have been turned over to the police.
The MTA said that more than 1,500 of its more than 5,600 buses are equipped with cameras.
'This is a very dangerous job,' said Willie Rivera of TWU Local 100. 'I need all the protection I need inside of the buses.'
For now, transit officials said that riders should expect to see an increased police presence in and around the B15.
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