As thousands of students prepare to board city buses to the first day of classes in Madison schools Tuesday, increasing violence at the Madison bus system's most dangerous transfer plaza has prompted calls for stronger police action and more money for uniformed security guards.

The South Transfer Point, at the corner of South Park Street and West Badger Road, had more than 220 police calls from January through July 31, compared to 170 for all of 2007, police records show.

Precious DuPriest, a La Follette High School student who was waiting for a bus with friends late Monday afternoon, said, "It's dirty. It's all these people doing drugs, fighting. It's not a safe environment at all. I'm not saying it happens every night, but it happens too much."

Each school day, more than 500 Madison school students board buses at the transfer point on their way to and from eight middle and high schools.

Asked if the South Transfer Point is safe, Metro General Manager Chuck Kamp responded, "It's not safe enough."

Problems at night

Metro spokesman Mick Rusch said the site is safe for students. "Most of the problems happen at night," he said. "We're not ignoring it. We're on top of it. It's something we're working on constantly."

Madison police have already responded with plans to step up patrols at the Metro Transit South Transfer Point on Park Street, and now have a live video feed from the transfer station in the police South District headquarters.

Bus driver assaulted

Some of the recent police calls include an assault on a bus driver on July 29, three strong armed robberies in late June, and 11 batteries.

In the assault, an arguing couple boarded a bus at the transfer point at about 9 p.m. on July 29 and the driver politely asked the man, who was swearing, to watch his language, police said.

The passenger then unleashed a foul verbal tirade and punched the driver 10-12 times in the head as he tried to call police.

Bus system security cameras have captured several fights and beatings at the station, including one in which a group of men knock a man down and kick him repeatedly.

City Council President Tim Bruer, 14th District, who represents the area, said, "Overall, it is (safe). But there are certain times and pressure points that raise questions of public safety."

Problems elsewhere

The bus system's three other transfer points have problems but not as many as the South Side's.

From January through July 31:

The West Transfer Point, 5602 Tokay Boulevard, had 60 police calls, including a battery and two strong armed robberies.

The North Transfer Point, 1221 Huxley St., had 46 calls, including two batteries.

The East Transfer Point, 102 W. Corporate Drive, had 45 calls, including 4 batteries.

"There is an increased security concern at transfer points in the last few years," Kamp said. "It's one of the top concerns at Metro."

The South Transfer Point, located in the Burr Oaks neighborhood, has been a trouble spot because transients hang out there and, for nine months, students from a mix of schools use the site during the school year, officials said.

About 2,000 passengers board buses there each day, Kamp said.

The transfer point, opened with others in mid-1998 when Metro shifted from a Downtown hub to a transfer point system.

In 1999, the first full year of operation, the transfer point had 21 police calls, fewest of the four stations. By 2004, it had 141 calls. Last year, there were 172. And in the first seven months of this year, more than 220.

"It's a concern," said Dale Cox, president of the Burr Oaks Neighborhood Association.

Michael Sandbourne, a frequent bus rider, said he usually feels safe at the South Transfer Point, but he said he travels at peak times. "I have seen a couple of times, people drinking beer out of bags, kind of partying," he said. "You try to maintain a low profile."

But Larry Foy, another frequent rider, said, "It's a dangerous place to wait. They'll be selling drugs, prostitution, gambling, robberies. Everything."

Alcoholics panhandle for cigarettes or money, Foy said.

"The police come here every day," Foy said. "They've been handing out tickets for trespassing, loitering."

"There's a lot of stuff that goes on," said Tracy Johnson, a manager at the McDonald's restaurant next door. "Drug dealing. Fist fights. A lot of things. The alcoholics like to hang out because it's shady over there."

The transfer point has become a crossroads, Bruer said.

Some apartment landlords near the site have poor screening standards and rent to "bad actors" who've migrated from improving Allied Drive, Bruer said. The property is also near flophouse motels along the Beltline, a state probation and parole office, and during the school year, it's flooded with students, including many latch-key kids.

"It's become to be known as a place to hang out, especially during the school year," South Police District Capt. James Wheeler said. "You get all these kids who are just there. Whenever you have a lot of unsupervised kids in one space, things happen."

Isadore Knox Jr., a neighborhood activist and former City Council member, said the neighborhood has been changing. "For the first time, I've had a couple of adults express to me concerns about going there," he said. "I'm telling my son, get off a few blocks early, don't go all the way to the station."

Most of the time, problems are of the nuisance variety, such as loitering, noise or intimidation, Wheeler said. But gangs, drugs and prostitution are problems, too, he said.

Ted Erickson, a Metro driver for 11 years, said, "When school starts, things are a little more dangerous. Kids get restless waiting. And it's probably not the safest place for a single person late at night."

Volunteers helped

A couple of years ago, Knox and others from his church organized a group of men to offer a positive presence at the transfer point, and this spring the police invited them back.

But the city determined it couldn't encourage adults to assemble at the site because that could be seen as loitering, too, Knox said. Instead, Knox and the fledgling South Madison Peace Partners have concentrated efforts at nearby Penn Park.

Police are patrolling more frequently, Wheeler said, adding, "I have been telling officers to be proactive."

But troublemakers pick up on police routines, DuPriest and others said.

Metro placed surveillance cameras at transfer points several years ago and is putting cameras on all buses. Video was used to nab a 16-year-old boy allegedly involved in a strong-armed robbery at the South Side site on June 30.

Also, Metro is making video available to schools so they can check student behavior, Kamp said.

Earlier this year, Metro began a pilot program that lets Metro officials and South District police monitor live video feed from the eight cameras at the transfer Point.

Police don't constantly monitor the video but check it from time to time for loitering or trouble, Wheeler said.

When school starts this week, police will hit the transfer point hard "to set a tone," Wheeler said.

In the latest move, Metro is seeking $150,000 in next year's budget to hire uniformed private security personnel to patrol the South Transfer Point at "certain times, certain seasons," Kamp said.

The preliminary concept is to have two security personnel there from the afternoon through evenings during all but the coldest winter months, Rusch said.

"For years, cities Madison's size have had this kind of security personnel in public places," Bruer said. "It's something we want to consider."

Kamp also wants police to help train bus drivers in handling delicate situations or trouble.

"The South Transfer Point is a high-priority public safety issue," Kamp stressed. "We want to continue to look for ways to improve security. Metro's first and foremost priority is safety."