Press Room

An Act relative to assault and battery upon a transit worker ensures that workers on the MBTA, commuter rail lines, regional transit authorities, and other public transit systems are explicitly protected while doing their jobs and serving the public good.

Transit workers have been increasingly targeted by assaults as they work to get Massachusetts commuters safely between their homes, workplaces, and schools.

On the MBTA alone, where workers are busy serving more than 800,000 riders on an average weekday, they are subjected to scores of assaults per year. In 2024, besides 33 assaults with weapons and 72 physical assaults, MBTA workers were also targeted by 38 assaults with bodily fluids, according to testimony received by the Legislature.

The details of the legislation are below.

Steps Up Penalties for Assaults on All Transit Workers. Expressly covers all public transit workers under an existing state law that increases the minimum penalties for assault and battery if the assault is committed against a public employee while they are on duty.

Expressly Criminalizes Assaults with Bodily Substances. Specifically punishes assaults against public employees that are committed with bodily substances such as saliva.