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Clenerth Dennis is just one city bus driver who claims to have been assaulted on the job. Recently, someone threw coffee on him.

“He didn't have the fare, so he poured the coffee on me and just went back through the door,” says Dennis.

Dennis says he's eager for all buses to have driver shields, especially following last month's assault on a driver who wouldn't let a passenger bring her dog on board. A teenager has been indicted in that case.

Last year in a pilot program, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority installed shields on four buses on the B46 route in Flatbush.

Greg Jordan drives one of them. He likes the shield, but says it needs some improvement.

“The glare makes you unsure, and then you can't drive properly because you are always antsy about what's going on because you don't see well,” says Jordan.

MTA officials say that 464 buses will receive improved shields by the end of the year.

The types of shields will vary based on the bus' make and model. Most of the drivers NY1 interviewed want the protection.

“A lot of operators don't like them because they feel boxed in,” says Lloyd Archer, a bus driver. “I like them. They'll protect me. I'd rather for someone to spit on that than spit on me, or punch that instead of punching me.”

Passengers say shields are worth the money so drivers are better protected.

“I seen bus drivers get spit on,” says one bus rider. “They don't get the respect they’re due.”

MTA officials say the drivers not only deserve respect, but that driver and passenger safety is the organization’s number one priority. It says shields and surveillance cameras will go a long way in protecting both.

Officials also say that the MTA will monitor both the surveillance cameras and the bus driver shield programs and then decide next year — with the union's input — how to move forward.