Rise in assaults on Winnipeg Transit making it difficult to retain, recruit bus drivers: union
Posted December 4, 2022 5:22 pm.
Last Updated December 4, 2022 7:03 pm.
Winnipeg Transit is now operating at a reduced capacity, as the city continues to struggle to find dozens of drivers to fill major shortages.
Romeo Ignacio, the president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, says Winnipeg Transit is short about 50 drivers and is operating at a six per cent reduction in regular service levels.
It’s a vacancy level he has never seen before.
“We’re concerned this is escalating into a situation where we are not going to be able to, like the mayor has promised, get to 100 per cent of the service,” said Ignacio.
“It affects the schedule that the city has provided which is based on pandemic schedule and it wears you down.”
Ignacio says the service continues to see an increase in operator absenteeism – around 100 drivers are on short or long-term leave of absence for medical or personal leave.
Verbal threats, spitting, punching
But he says the biggest barrier for recruiting is driver safety.
“A lot of our operators, whether they have been here 20-30 years, they have decided to not risk it, call it quits and retire,” he said.
The union has been tracking the number of assaults on operators over the last few years.
In 2021, Ignacio says there were 90 operators assaulted. In 2022, that number has risen to 107 incidents, which include verbal threats, spitting, punching, and assaults with weapons.
“It also has an impact on new operators,” he said. “You don’t have the experience yet. You come into work, hear this or you actually get assaulted, verbally assaulted and it has an impact on your work and well-being.”
WATCH: Transit safety concerns resurface after string of attacks
Ignacio says he has been in constant contact with the city but has not heard back from the province on this issue. He says if recruitment efforts don’t happen soon, it will be very hard to return to pre-pandemic levels.
“If we don’t resolve this issue, if we don’t hire more people and retain them, it’s going to be problematic for the city and the people that are taking the transit system.”
