The union representing Winnipeg Transit drivers says the call for better protections for its members is a frustrating one.
Dozens of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) members gathered outside city hall Tuesday morning to rally for enhanced safety measures for both drivers and riders — including fully enclosed safety shields for drivers, and more safety officers on patrol.
The union is also calling for the creation of an e-alert app for riders to report any incidents they witness on the bus.
Executive vice-president Derek Hanley said the turnout to Tuesday’s rally was small, with very few drivers in attendance, in part because nothing has been done in the past when similar concerns were raised.
“It’s just frustrating. It’s frustrating for the fact that we hold these rallies and nothing gets done,” Hanley said.
“We’ve had one of our members murdered on the job, and transit safety in this city has gotten worse.”
That driver was 58-year-old Irvine Jubal Fraser, stabbed to death by a rider in February 2017.
His murder was just one of a rising number of violent incidents on buses in recent memory — including an incident just last week when a transit supervisor was attacked with a makeshift blowtorch.
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Kevin Rebeck, head of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, said the blowtorch incident is just one example in a litany of complaints about violent incidents transit employees face every day on the job.
“Workplace violence is out of control in Manitoba,” Rebeck said.
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“Workplace injuries from violence have quadrupled in the last decade. That is unacceptable — and we know of far too many instances of violence on transit buses.
“Transit safety is a public safety issue.”
Hanley said drivers don’t feel the city is addressing the issues at hand, and will be airing their concerns at the next transit advisory committee meeting on Friday.
“They’re out serving the citizens of this city, but there are also a lot of them who do not show up to these rallies, because they don’t think the city administration is going to do anything to take care of their needs.”
Numbers from the ATU show 201 security incidents on transit so far in 2024. That’s down from 257 in 2023, but still a marked increase from 2021, when there were 88 incidents. The union also noted 160 of 1064 drivers are currently on leave due to stress or injury.
ATU Local 1505 President Chris Scott is also calling for better bylaw enforcement surrounding fare evasion, saying the union has filed requests for information under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).
“I believe we have put in a request to find out how many fines have been issued under this bylaw, and we suspect we will get a response that there is no data because we don’t know of any fines issued under the bylaw,” he said.
“Our last FIPPA, when we asked for losses due to fare evasion was for 2022 and it was estimated between 4 and $6 million is lost to the transit service through fare evasion. That could fund a whole lot of improvements on the service for us.”
Scott says improving safety is essential to hire and retain enough operators to meet the City’s goal of over 300 new drivers on the road by June 2025.
In response, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham has called for an expansion to the 10-month-old Community Safety Team, aimed at keeping buses safer for passengers and operators alike.
“Winnipeggers deserve a safe and reliable transit system, and I share the ATU’s concerns about the need to improve safety on our buses,” Gillingham said in a statement Tuesday.
“Feedback from drivers and passengers tells us the Community Safety Team is making a difference, but also that we need to do more.
“More officers mean more presence on buses, faster response times, and a greater ability to deter crime and assist riders in need. I’m committed to finding the resources needed to strengthen this program.”
The mayor said the program — initially funded by a one-time provincial grant in 2023 — will be fully funded from the city’s own general revenues beginning in 2025. Waverley West councillor and Transit Advisory Committee member Janice Lukes is looking at “all avenues” to increase funding.
“We’re in a cash crunch at the City of Winnipeg here,” she said. “Transit safety is really important. We really want people to take the busses and we’ve seen how effective it’s been.”
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