Mass Assault on Dispatcher jobs will lead to increase crime on Bus Operators and Passengers

We were notified by Department of Bus (DOB) managers a few days ago that come January 2026 they intend to eliminate 26 dispatcher posts from the road to be relocated to the Bus Command Center (BCC). At the same time they are cutting 10 BCC positions.

This insanely stupid move by DOB managers will absolutely lead to an increase in harassment and assaults on Bus operators and passengers. This is akin to taking 26 police officers off the street to put them in the police station. The road dispatcher are the direct line of supervision and literally the boots on the ground to what is happening on the street. The road dispatcher is the one, the passengers go to when they have a problem and the one the bus operator rely on to make schedule adjustments when running behind schedule. This move by management is the first step to the elimination of jobs to be replaced with AI technology.

We will be taking every measure possible to stop this assault on our jobs and to do all that we can to protect our co-workers and the riding public.

I will be calling on you to get involved, as this attack on our jobs will lead to the destruction in the dispatcher position. Stay tuned for what you can do to help.

Philip Valenti, President