RTC Southern Nevada adds 300 new security officers to transit system

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Calling the safety of its riders its “unwavering mission,” the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada added 300 new security officers to its transit system Monday. Of those officers, 50 will ride the buses throughout Las Vegas, RTC said.

Recent violence on RTC bus lines is well documented. The 8 News Now Investigators have shed light on numerous instances of gunfire and other lethal behavior. Among them, a 30-year-old man aboard a bus in February 2023 was stabbed 33 times and the bus finally pulled over after four long minutes; a woman, 28, was sentenced in February 2022 to 20 years for pushing a man, 74, off a bus to his death in 2019 ; and in June teenagers engaged in a shootout that riddled the bus in bullets and left its passengers ducking for cover .

Those examples, while vivid, are not constant given the breadth and scope of the RTC’s operation. In Fiscal Year 2022, the RTC provided nearly 41 million bus rides. Still, an RTC director stressed – in a written statement to the 8 News Now Investigators – the importance of the investment in added security.

“Riders will notice an increased security presence and stronger enforcement of the fare policy and rider rules, offering peace of mind and assistance when needed,” Tom Atteberry, Director of Safety and Security Operations, said.

A visit to the Bonneville Transit Center in downtown Las Vegas on Monday showed a typical amount of riders and buses, as well as its noticeable share of unhoused people. Additionally, there was a strong presence of armed security in and around the depot.

But an afternoon ride on a busy bus traveling the 113 route northbound down Las Vegas Boulevard showed no on-board driver. Riders who spoke with the 8 News Now Investigators said more of a security presence on routes like the 113 – known by some to be one of the more dangerous bus rides– would be helpful.

“If they’re in the bus with the driver, it feels safer,” Beverly Aguilar, a frequent bus rider, said downtown on Monday, her day off.

Aguilar, who has been riding the buses in Las Vegas for all six years she’s lived here, says she makes sure to enter and exit the bus at busy stops, and to keep to herself. Otherwise, she knows she might be robbed or otherwise victimized.

“It’s up to you how you navigate the bus,” Aguilar said.

Other statistics – provided by RTC also help make the case for additional security.

Passenger-on-operator assaults hit a high of 42 in 2020, and after going down to 32 in 2022, crept back up to 35 last year.

Instances of passenger-on-passenger assaults spiked in 2022 at nearly 200 and went down to just over 160 last year. But in 2019 the number was only approximately 120.

Data like this helps the RTC determine which buses and which routes get additional security.

“The decision of which routes to focus on is based on incident and report data,” an RTC spokesman said in a statement. “Again, our security plan is always evolving based on need.”

The RTC’s bus drivers union voted in March to terms of a new contract. In addition to pay and benefits, security and safety were among the members’ main concerns.

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