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London Transit Union says more support needed following assaults

File photo of London Transit Commission bus. Global News

The London Transit Union is calling for more protection after they say two drivers were assaulted, one of whom ended up in hospital, while on duty Tuesday morning.

A statement from Michael Gauthier, president of London ATU Local 741, said the first attack happened when person jumped behind the operator and attacked him while he was transitioning from one bus to another.

The driver is now in hospital following the incident, the union said.

A second driver was then verbally attacked with a person threatening physical violence the same day, said the union.

“We at London Transit have been dealing with these types of violence against our drivers for years, every year it gets worse and more serious,” Gauthier said in the statement.

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“These attacks can’t keep happening, drivers need more protection.”

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It’s not known whether the two incidents are related.

These incidents come after a separate assault in October 2020, during which a woman was caught on camera assaulting an LTC bus driver over an argument regarding a face mask.

Gauthier said due to a lack of protection that face many drivers, physical assaults are more common than people may think.

Global News reached out to London police regarding the incidents.

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