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Violent incidents in and around public transit vehicles and facilities take a number of forms, with current classification systems separating them by type. Incidents are differentiated by level of interaction between actor and target and by severity of outcome (damage or injury). Frequencies of more specific incident types can be plotted, with the interaction dimension the y-axis and the severity of injury and damage the sections of the x-axis to the right and left, respectively, of the origin. Thus qualitative (type) and quantitative (frequency and severity) information can be provided from a single graph. The value of the suggested method is its ability to be prescriptive and descriptive. Violent incidents that are played out through intense interpersonal interaction may be more amenable to prevention or intervention efforts that have social skills as the focus, with those skills learned through training. Conversely, the incidents that involve no interaction between persons, such as vandalism, might be better dealt with by environmental controls or equipment modifications. An analytical model is used to elucidate motivating factors behind aggressive or violent interaction. From an interactionist perspective, aggressive action or reaction is seen as a means of demonstrating, preserving, or enhancing social status.

The characteristics of public transit vehicle operators reporting problematic encounters with passengers or other persons were examined. While some association was found between involvement in such encounters and female gender, the major finding was that nearly half of all reported incidents over a 5-year period involved operators reporting more than one such incident. Moreover, that population was overrepresented by male operators, with operators reporting three or more such incidents being almost exclusively male. These operators also tended to be from a particular ethnic group. That finding led to a change from the original perspective, in which drivers were viewed as hapless victims of predatory persons, to one in which the interactional style of operators was seen as a contributory factor in the occurrence, progress, and outcome of problematic encounters. It was concluded that conflict arising from the problematic encounters is essentially about status: its assertion, affirmation, or maintenance. So strong is the drive to preserve status that considerable risks will be taken. A description of the structure of social interaction is provided, and organizational responses are discussed.