Punched, kicked, spat on: Saskatoon Transit workers call for help after violent assaults
The union representing the city’s bus drivers says violence against transit workers is out of control.
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 615 and the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) say they want something done to protect transit employees.
The city says plans have been put into place to address the threat to worker safety, but workers say it can’t come soon enough.
For lifetime transit rider Elizabeth Dyck, taking the bus has been her sole means of transportation for most of her life, and it’s troubling to her how safety has changed over the years.
“The last 10 years have been very different, there’s fighting on the bus, people are not paying their fares, as you can see people aren’t respecting the transit houses,” Dyck told CTV News.
Elizabeth Dyck has been a lifetime transit rider. (Carla Shynkaruk / CTV News)
The ATU and SFL released a letter Tuesday morning because of a recent surge in violent events where drivers were punched, kicked, and spat on.
“As a matter of fact, last night we had another assault on one of our drivers. He was asked a simple question, answered it and the passenger reached around the barrier and punched him in the face,” said Darcy Pederson, president of the ATU Local 615.
According to Pederson, drivers have also seen knives and even guns brought onto busses.
In a statement to CTV News, the city acknowledged there have been recent issues.
“The transit administration acknowledges there recently were a number of negative interactions and they take them seriously. Several initiatives have been introduced in the last 12 months to improve safety for employees and the public in transit spaces,” the statement said.
“Processes are also in place to support staff after incidents occur.”
Pederson has his own ideas about how to tackle the problem.
“I think we can clean up the terminal, get better cameras, getting more enforcement officer would be good. Someone who can enforce the rules,” he said.
City administration said more support officers have been put into place, with more on the way July 1.
Administration says negative interactions on transit is a Canada-wide issue.
This graph shows the rates of negative interactions on transit in Saskatoon since 2019:
Pederson has been a bus driver for 21 years. He says gone are the days where passenger and driver knew each other and had a positive relationship.
“You knew where they were going and now we’re in a situation where every time we pick up a passenger, we’re not sure if that passenger is going to punch us in the face or not.”
According to that statement from the city, Saskatoon Transit employees are always encouraged to call their supervisor if they are concerned for their safety and to contact the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) immediately to investigate when an incident happens.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a "major assault."
DEVELOPING Defence rests without Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Canada's inflation cools to 3-year low of 2.7%, in boost for rate cut bets
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
'Documents are fraudulent': Graceland is not for sale, Elvis Presley's granddaughter says in lawsuit
Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, is fighting plans to publicly auction his Graceland estate in Memphis after a company tried to sell the property based on claims that a loan using the king of rock ’n’ roll's former home as collateral was not repaid.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
Flight PS752 victims' families say they're not sorry to hear of Iran president death
Members of a Canadian group representing families of those killed when Iranian officials shot down Flight PS752 in January 2020 say they are not sorry to hear of the death of Iran's president.