BC Transit is offering Greater Victoria bus drivers an extra layer of protection from unruly passengers.

Over the next six months, three Victoria buses will be outfitted with Plexiglas barriers that will physically separate drivers from passengers.

The pilot project has been in the works for some time after a number of violent attacks on operators.

"The need for this door is great. We had 30 transit operators over a 10-year period that had violent interactions with passengers. That's 30 too many," said WorksafeBC spokesman Ray Zukanovic. "The doors in particular will prevent sucker punches. That's one of the hardest violent attacks against a transit operator that you can prevent."

The head of the union representing BC Transit bus drivers says it's been a long time coming and he thinks the new partitions will help drivers feel safer.

"In the future, you will start to see these rolling out through all of the BC Transit buses in Greater Victoria and throughout the province," said Unifor 333 President Ben Williams.

Each barrier costs between $5,000 and $6,000 and will still enable drivers to communicate with passengers, according to Williams.

The pilot project will also see the barriers installed on buses in Abbotsford and Kelowna.