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Teenagers Stop Buses With Flip Of "Kill Switch"
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 29, 2012
Modified Apr 29, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 29, 2012
Modified Apr 29, 2012
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In today's installment of "Damn Teenagers," the Post reports that packs of adolescents are throwing emergency kill switches on MTA buses, bringing commutes to a halt and making riders nervous. One woman said a "wolf pack" of teens shut down her S46 bus in Staten Island three times before she gave up and left. “It was a scary thing to know that kids could shut it off,” she said. And they can vote, too!
2,027 of the MTA's diesel hybrid buses have the switch in case of a fire, but only 892 have been fitted with a lock for the switch, which is located on the exterior of the bus, along with instructions on how to use it.
“We became aware that buses had become vulnerable to this activity several years ago, and we’ve been trying since then to remedy it, starting first in the area where most prevalent,” MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg told the paper. “It’s a growing problem. It happens every day,” adds Frank Austin, a TWU Local 100 official. We say it's time to put some "kill switches" on those Proactiv vending machines.
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Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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