THUNDER BAY - Assaults, both verbal and physical, on Thunder Bay Transit operators is not uncommon, and the most recent assault that saw one driver struck repeatedly in the head and face, has union officials calling for more protection for operators.
On Thursday evening, officers with the Thunder Bay Police Service responded to reports of a city transit driver being assaulted by a man who refused to pay the fare.
When the man was asked to leave the bus, he struck the driver several times in the head and face. Louis Curtis Moonias, 31 was located and arrested a short time later and is facing assault and assault with intent to resist arrest charges.
“Over the last few years we’ve seen an increase in incidents,” said Ken Koza, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 966. “I would have to say on a daily basis, verbal assaults are happening on our operators. When it comes to the physical, over the last few years, we have definitely seen a rise in the number of situations like this happening.”
Koza said the transit union is in talks with the city of Thunder Bay about outfitting buses with safety shields for drivers.
The city has applied for federal funding to outfit buses with safety shields and there could a trial on one or two buses, but Koza said drivers would prefer to see the entire fleet outfitted as soon as possible.
“The statistics show that this is something in the last few years that is on the rise across North America when it comes to transit operators being assaulted,” Koza said. “I’m not sure exactly why that’s happening, but we are looking at all the different angles to prevent these situations from happening.”
Winnipeg has recently outfitted its fleet with safety shields for drivers and it is something that is much more common in cities across the United States.
According to Koza, the majority of incidents are the result of passengers refusing to pay the fare.
“Unfortunately there are some people who feel that paying a fare to ride transit is optional and when told they need to pay it, they become confrontational and combative,” he said. “All the operators have a right to feel safe at work. As a union we need to do whatever we can in conversations with the city to ensure they have a safe working environment.”
