Philbrick: Transit workers make your holiday trips possible

Lights twinkle in windows, the smell of peppermint fills the air and holiday tunes jingle.

In downtown San Jose, hundreds of thousands of people gather each winter to enjoy Christmas in the Park, adding to one of the busiest travel times of the year — often a stressful time as we plan get-togethers, shop for gifts and travel.

Last year, approximately 34% of Americans traveled 50 miles or more for the winter holidays. We anticipate this trend to continue, and as we enjoy the festivities it is critical to remember transportation is at the heart of it all. It allows us to reach the home and hearth of our loved ones, it provides the supply chain for our gifts and meals and it allows us to live full, meaningful lives.

During this season of giving, let’s remember our frontline transportation workers — such as bus operators, train conductors, station staff and flight attendants — all of whom facilitate safe, efficient travel everyday, including holiday travel for millions. That means many of these workers are forgoing time with their own families to help us get to ours.

Across the country, transit workers are already facing a rise in harassment and assault. The rate of major assaults against transit workers nationwide hit a 15-year high in 2023. From 2011 to 2023, the assault rate more than quadrupled. This issue has become so prevalent that many transit operators in the Bay Area have come to expect some form of harassment as part of the job — including spitting, threats, punches and sexual harassment.

These incidents affect workers’ morale, well-being and retention in an industry already facing labor shortages. All of this in turn affects transit riders and can impact service efficiency and quality, especially during peak travel times like the winter holidays.

Having a little extra patience and performing small acts of kindness can significantly impact transportation workers, riders and the general well-being of everyone. A national survey showed almost all travelers — 97% — find receiving kindness from others, as well as being kind to others, can improve overall well-being. Even witnessing acts of kindness can raise levels of the “love hormone” oxytocin in our brains.

Expressing gratitude, holding the door and offering a seat to someone can go a long way in improving everyone’s mood. We should all be gently reminded to treat each other with respect, even if travel plans don’t go as expected. Remember we can also speak up to advocate for one another if we witness inappropriate or unsafe behavior. BART and VTA have multiple ways to report harassment and crime, including the free BART Watch app and VTA Alerts app. Using public transit to head downtown can help you avoid the traffic, and you can even add to the holiday cheer by taking a trolley ride through Willow Glen.

This and every season, let’s strive to be grateful for those who tirelessly devote themselves to serving the greater good, especially frontline workers like store clerks, waitstaff and transit operators. Together, we can ensure that the season of giving extends to everyone, including the transportation workers who keep us moving.

San José Spotlight columnist Karen E. Philbrick is the executive director of the Mineta Transportation Institute, a research institute focusing on multimodal surface transportation policy and management issues.