With 28 assaults reported since 2017, Saskatoon council to consider safety barriers for transit drivers

SASKATOON -- Saskatoon City Council will look at retrofitting its 140 transit buses with safety barriers to protect drivers.

Council will debate the issue on Monday. There have been 28 assaults on city transit operators since 2017.

The cost to add the barriers would be between $980,000 and $2.9 million depending which system would be adopted.

Cities such as Ottawa, Edmonton and Hamilton have all started to install permanent protective shields.

According to a report presented to council, a thin plexiglass shield does not meet SGI requirements and drivers would require a rigid shield installed.