Winnipeg Transit union wants community safety team expanded, but city may not have money for it
City needs to do more to keep drivers and passengers safe, union says during rally at city hall
The union representing city bus drivers and the mayor both want to see an expansion of Winnipeg Transit's community safety team, but it's unclear whether there will be money in the upcoming municipal budget to do that.
Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 and other labour organizations rallied outside city hall on Tuesday, saying the city needs to do more to keep drivers and passengers safe.
Union president Chris Scott says community safety officers who started working earlier this year have made a difference, but there are not enough of them to cover the entire Winnipeg Transit system.
"A lot of my members are wondering, where are they?" Scott told reporters.
"[Safety officers] have a wide range of responsibilities both on and off the bus. [Drivers] want to see more community safety officers on the bus. They want to see Transit police. They want to see anything that will help make Transit safer."
So far this year, there have been 201 safety incidents reported on city buses, according to the union. That's a 16 per cent drop from the 238 reported at the same point last year.
Assaults on drivers also fell, by 20 per cent, but attacks on passengers were up nine per cent, the union says.
The chair of the city's public works committee says the safety team is "proving to be very effective."
"Would I like to see more? I would like to see more, but it comes down to the funding," said Coun. Janice Lukes.
In a news release, Mayor Scott Gillingham said the team was started with money from the province, but the city will have to fund the team on its own starting next year, with costs expected to reach $3 million a year by 2027.
Funding for next year will be included in the city's upcoming budget, slated to be released on Dec. 11.
Community safety team lead Robert Chrismas says his officers have been receiving positive feedback from riders and drivers.
"[We're] just trying to take the resources we have and make the best impact we can," he said. "A big part of the work they do is being present.… They're highly visible."
Union wants driver shields, better payment system
Scott says safety has gotten worse in the more than seven years since driver Jubal Fraser was stabbed to death on the job.
Many of the conflicts between drivers and passengers arise because of fare evasion, Scott said.
He'd like to see the city implement new transit payment methods that would make enforcement easier.
Lukes says the city has committed $6 million to look for a company to replace its current Peggo card system.
The union has also long pushed the city to approve full shields on buses to better protect drivers. The existing partial shields do not provide adequate protection, Scott said.
One shield manufacturer has offered to test its shields on Winnipeg buses at no cost to the city, he said.
But Lukes said retrofitting the city's fleet will be challenging.
"It's going to be a couple years, because we're waiting for the prototypes from the companies. And when we get the prototype, then we'll pilot it," she said.
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