I grew up in New York City and I love public transportation...there was a period of about 15 years, reaching its peak during the tenure of Dinkins just before Giuliani took over, during which it was dangerous, but normally it was and is very safe. And New Yorkers do come to your aid.
I was the target of a racially motivated nutcase on a train and the people who came forward and defended me were black. So New York is probably different (in a good way) from the rest of the country.
That said, I lived in San Francisco for a few years and after the first few rides, I learned never to get on a bus at certain times of the day (when the “kids” were coming home from school) or on a bus going to certain neighborhoods, because the feral young riders would suddenly turn on any white or Asian or older Hispanic rider in the bus and attack. They didn’t attack younger Hispanics because they were armed...with a knife, but they were good at using it.
Even if they didn’t attack you, they would start taunting you, which sure made for an unpleasant ride. And the drivers didn’t do anything because they were scared too. So I can’t blame the drivers, but it sounds to me as if this liberal haven needs better and speedier security.
Wow. I live and work in Los Angeles, and I ride the buses every day from West Hollywood to the downtown area and back. I get off in a very gang-infested area. Happily the kids around here seem to be quite nice, however, and so far I haven’t seen anything like that. I’ve been riding the bus for 2 and a half years now. But I’m not in South Central or anything like that. Just downtown.