Bus tragedy hitting Okanagan drivers hard

A deadly attack on a Winnipeg bus driver as well as an assault on an Okanagan bus operator have renewed calls for improved safety measures to protect transit drivers.

In Winnipeg, a 58-year-old bus driver died when he was attacked by a passenger in the early morning hours of Tuesday. Irvine Fraser had just finished the last ride of the night when he went to wake up the remaining passenger who was sleeping at the back of the bus. He was stabbed to death.

“It is a shocking story any time a public servant is killed while working,” Winnipeg police chief Danny Smyth said.

The suspect, 22-year-old Brian Kyle Thomas, was arrested a short time later and has now been charged with second-degree murder.

In the central Okanagan, a female driver was shaken up but not badly hurt when she was hit by a young man at around 12:30 p.m. Monday. The incident happened near the intersection of Highway 97 and Hudson Road in West Kelowna.

“We will be reviewing onboard surveillance of that bus and hope to further our investigation with information that we obtain form that,” Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said. “We did manage to speak to other passengers that were onboard at the time. There were other passengers that were not able to stay and speak to police. We encourage them to come forward. We would like to speak to them.”

Police describe the suspect as a young, aboriginal male wearing dark shorts and a dark hoodie as well as white sneakers. He was carrying a large knapsack which had other small bags attached to it.

The two incidents have the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1722 renewing calls for improved safety measures to be put in place.

“We are just doing our jobs,” union president Scott Lovell said. “We have a right to feel safe in our jobs.”

Lovell is accusing B.C. Transit of failing to live up to its promise to test protective barriers in Kelowna to shield drivers from unruly passengers.

“That was supposed to start, I was told by B.C. Transit, by October at the latest,” Lovell said. “We still don’t even have the two on site for the test to begin. That is frustrating.”

B.C. Transit did issue a statement to Global News in an email, which said, in part:

“B.C. Transit continues to work with its partners to identify potential options to test safety barriers in vehicles, including in Kelowna. B.C. Transit undertook a trial of safety barriers in Victoria in 2016 and received mixed reactions from transit operators. We will continue to explore all options available to enhance the safety of our passengers and transit operators.

But Lovell says action isn’t happening fast enough.

“How many drivers have to be assaulted, how many drivers have to have issues throughout Canada like the one in Winnipeg?” Lovell said. “How many drivers have to be killed before safety of the driver is first and foremost?”