Protective barriers credited for drop in serious assaults against OC Transpo drivers
OC Transpo and the union representing bus drivers credit the installation of protective barriers on buses for a decline in the number of assaults involving Ottawa bus drivers.
However, the Amalgamated Transit Union says its members still face incidents of verbal assaults and spitting from riders on OC Transpo buses.
Statistics provided to CTV News Ottawa show there were 34 bus driver assaults in the first nine months of 2022, and 38 assaults in 2021. That's down from 65 bus driver assaults in 2020 and 87 in 2019.
"Over the years, the numbers were pretty high until we installed barriers, shields on the buses," Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 President Clint Crabtree told CTV News Ottawa.
"After doing that, we've seen the number of serious assaults drop because the operators are behind the shield and barrier, but what we continue to see is verbal assaults and spitting at the operators – so they're spitting at the shield."
In 2020, the Transit Commission approved $6 million in funding to install permanent barriers on OC Transpo buses to protect bus drivers. The installation of more than 700 barriers started in April 2021, and was finished a few months later.
"Any assault on anybody shouldn't be happening, but the assaults have come down due to the fact we have shields and barriers on the buses," Crabtree said.
OC Transpo says there has been a "consistent reduction in the rate of assaults" against bus drivers since 2018, when 105 incidents were reported.
"A more pronounced reduction is seen from 2020 to 2022 when protective barriers were installed," OC Transpo Chief Safety Officer Paul Treboutat said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.
"Staff note that while there may be a correlation between ridership levels and operator assaults, isolating the operators as much as possible with barriers has resulted in positive impacts on the reduction in assault occurrences."
The Amalgamated Transit Union is calling for a national transit safety task force, as the union says violent attacks on public transit have reached "crisis levels". The ATU says the task force must include transit agencies and representatives of all levels of government.
The call for a task force comes after a number of violent attacks on Toronto Transit Commission buses and the subway system, targeting workers and riders. Police reported several incidents, including a TTC driver shot with a BB gun and two TTC workers assaulted on their way back to work.
"We don't want to see anybody get assaulted, that's all there is to it," Crabtree said, noting the ATU is looking at "all avenues" to improve safety for riders and employees.
"We need to do something to address it and fix it immediately."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Getting the lowest mortgage rates in a high interest rate world
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.