ATU 757, the union representing TriMet operators, said there are several things TriMet can do right now to better protect drivers in the wake of Monday night's stabbing of a driver.

Fred Casey, vice president of ATU 757, said many drivers are afraid to come to work after these types of attacks.

“Is the fear there? Yeah! And anybody who says it’s not there is lying. But it’s there and it needs to be acknowledged and it needs to be addressed ... you should not have to have that level of fear coming to work," Casey said.

Some TriMet operators contacted KATU Wednesday to say they were upset TriMet wouldn't allow them to carry self-defense weapons.

“They’re not allowed to carry defensive weapons, pepper spray, knives, stuff like that, they’re just not allowed, it’s against company policy,” Casey said.

KATU asked Casey whether he feels TriMet should consider changing that policy after Monday's attack on a driver.

"I think it needs to be looked at. The operators do need some type of protection, they need some way to be able to defend themselves without fear of losing their job for defending themselves,” Casey said.

KATU asked TriMet about their policy for drivers to carry non-lethal self-defense weapons, but they said they wouldn't comment on the policy.

Casey says they've been warning TriMet for years that more attacks like Monday night's stabbing would happen.

We reported to you Tuesday that hundreds of assaults on TriMet employees happen each year.

Casey says they'd asked TriMet to put in barriers that separate drivers from passengers for years.

But he says it wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic hit that TriMet was able to quickly mobilize and get the current barriers in buses in a short time frame.

And he says those barriers are not effective at protecting drivers.

“They know that there are issues with the barriers, that they do not cover enough, as obvious with this stabbing, because they were able to get around it and stab this person in the leg,” Casey said. “This could’ve gone very differently for [the driver], and the fact that she was trapped, and she had to crawl through a small driver’s window to get out of that situation, it’s frightening. It shouldn’t have happened. They shouldn’t have been able to get around that barrier."

Casey says they're calling on TriMet to mobilize again and install better, more protective barriers.

"Do what you did for the pandemic. Pay our people to come in on overtime and get them in here, and let’s get these barriers up,” he said.

Director of Communications for TriMet Roberta Altstadt says they are in the process of upgrading the safety panels.

"We have been working to upgrade the panels. Unfortunately, supply chain issues have delayed getting in the equipment needed. Our hope is to get materials in within the next month and immediately begin installation," Altstadt said.

She went on to say that once they get the materials in, they hope to have the upgrades installed in all 700 of their buses within four months.

But Casey says it only took them a matter of weeks to install the original barriers when the pandemic hit.

“Conversations are happening, they are happening, I just wish it would happen a lot quicker. They need to do it now," Casey said.