Saskatoon transit union calls for support to enforce mask mandate on city buses
Saskatoon’s transit union would like to see help for drivers who encounter riders not willing to comply with the City of Saskatoon's mask mandate on city buses.
"Our operators feel like they have been left to fend for themselves," said Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615 president and business agent Darcy Pederson. "They’re stressed out, tensions are high, we’re getting worn out."
Transit drivers aren’t responsible for enforcing the mask mandate due to safety concerns, but they have a box of masks available at the front of the bus in case someone needs one. Drivers also have a button they can press that activates an internal message on the bus reminding passengers masks are required.
Still, Pederson said someone like a security guard should be enforcing and handing out masks on transit, allowing operators to focus on driving.
He said some drivers have witnessed passengers getting into altercations with each other over mask wearing, but the driver can’t do anything other than pull over, open the doors and call police.
"If you don’t have enforcement, you’re just creating an environment where the conflict is going to happen one way or another. Operators, they want to come to work, they want to do their job safely and they want to return home to their family safely," he said, adding confrontations can lead to assault or worse.
Pederson said he would also like to see the rest of the assault barriers approved by city council last November installed on city buses so that drivers have an extra layer of protection. He said only one bus has been retrofitted with the safety shield so far.
In a statement to CTV News, Saskatoon Transit said drivers are tracking when and where there is non-compliance so supervisors can closely monitor and provide education in those areas.
"We work to educate riders on the importance of masks and communicate the requirement in a variety of ways to help with compliance. It’s important to recognize there are exceptions, as some people may not be able to wear a mask," the statement said.
Saskatoon Transit said mask compliance is 95 to 99 per cent on any given day on city buses, but Pederson said he believes those numbers don’t truly reflect what is happening.
"I don’t know what portion of compliance they represent, but I can tell you that non-compliance is happening a lot more than five per cent," he said.
Robert Clipperton, steering committee member and spokesperson for Bus Riders of Saskatoon, said bus riders as a whole were happy to see the mask mandate come back into effect on transit after being lifted on July 11.
However, he said enforcement at the provincial level is needed to ensure those who aren’t compliant follow the rules.
"We’ve got a sector of our population that doesn’t believe that COVID is a danger, doesn’t believe anyone should have to wear a mask and they’re going to violate it over and over again unless there’s some kind of enforcement," Clipperton said.
He added that there should also be more clarification about what the expectations are as restrictions are lifted and introduced.
"It’s really confusing for everyone because the rules seem to keep changing, the mechanisms for spreading the information don’t seem to be the best and having different rules in Alberta as opposed to in Saskatchewan as opposed to in Manitoba … it’s tough to keep abreast of what’s going on."
In the meantime Pederson is reminding anyone who rides transit to be patient with drivers and be respectful of the rules in place.
"Respect the policy, wear your mask, respect each other’s space and we can all get through this."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, 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.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'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.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.