Police identified the suspect as Quentin Lewis, a convicted felon who pulled a gun on the driver and ordered her to keep driving, according to authorities. The operator complied out of fear, running through stoplights, until she managed to escape by jumping out of a window.

The driver is a 35-year-old woman, and advocates say the psychological toll of the assault is likely to be severe.

"Imagine the trauma that a person has to deal with when they've been assaulted while going to work," said Tio Hardiman, president of Violence Interrupters, a violence-reduction initiative. "It's unacceptable."

Hardiman emphasized the lasting impact on the operator. "Imagine what she's dealing with, she's a 35-year-old young lady," he said. "A guy was waving his gun at her on the bus. She might be having nightmares every night now."

The kidnapping is the latest in a string of violent incidents involving CTA workers. In October, a CTA janitor was stabbed to death at the Damen Green Line station. Earlier in the spring, police said another CTA driver was threatened by a passenger with a knife.

Violence Interrupters, which focuses on education and prevention, has members who ride the CTA themselves in an effort to de-escalate problems before they turn violent. The group is now calling for a broader partnership to keep both workers and riders safe.

"When you go on the bus, pay your fare, you should feel protected every step of the way," Hardiman said.

The CTA said it is supporting the police investigation into the hijacking. The agency also pointed to a pilot program that deploys "safe ride specialists" on the Red, Blue and Green lines to help stop disruptive behavior before it escalates.

For transit workers and riders alike, the episode underscores the risks faced by those who keep the city moving, and the pressure on the agency to do more to prevent violence on its buses and trains.