There’s no doubt that drivers of school buses, city buses, subways and the like have to put up with a lot from student and adult passengers. It’s often a thankless job to boot.
But we couldn’t help doing a double take when we read about the leave policy in New York City for bus drivers who are spat upon by passengers.
In 2009, New York bus drivers who wanted time off after being spat upon took, on average, the equivalent of three months of paid leave to “recover.” One driver stayed off work for an incredible 191 workdays after a rider spat on him, The New York Times reported. (Some drivers, to their credit, declined to take the available leave.)
Of course, spitting on anyone is disgusting. But we’ll leave it to the New Yorkers who foot the bill for their city’s mass transit system — which is $400 million in the red — to decide whether it justifies three months of paid leave.