THUNDER BAY - A senior official with the City of Thunder Bay says the city takes "very seriously" any incident of abuse on Thunder Bay Transit buses.
General Manager of Community Services Kelly Robertson said the city is working closely with Thunder Bay Police to investigate the most recent case, which was made public on Tuesday by the Amalgamated Transit Union.
According to the ATU, a driver was punched in the stomach by a bus passenger on the evening of September 14.
Robertson told Tbnewswatch.com the incident was reported to police the same night, and that detectives have been working in partnership with her staff "to review the facts" and try to determine the identity of the aggressor.
The investigation, she said, includes scrutinizing video recorded by an onboard Thunder Bay Transit camera.
ATU Local 966 President Ken Koza has said the driver was assaulted by a male after a female passenger complained she was being verbally harassed.
According to Koza, Thunder Bay Transit operators "have started to become acceptant" of the fact they will be yelled at at some point during their day because of doing their job, adding that "it needs to stop."
He called on City Hall to develop "better processes, procedures and quicker response times to deal with these situations."
Robertson said the city is committed to both passenger and operator safety, and has been working closely with the ATU to review every case "based on the facts."
She said the city's safety experts are also being consulted to examine what if any improvements might be made.
Robertson added that it's important that passengers and operators report any incidents of abuse on a bus. "We can't act on things that we aren't aware of. Each case has some unique facts," she said.
Some North American transit systems have implemented safety measures such as transparent shields in the driver's compartment to protect operators from abusive passengers.
