Union calls for action after 3 Winnipeg Transit employees assaulted this month
Posted August 20, 2026 7:14 pm.
The union representing Winnipeg Transit workers says the recent attacks on its employees are unacceptable.
Winnipeg police say a bus driver was allegedly bitten, and a transit supervisor was punched in the face in two separate incidents on Tuesday.
“It happens far too often,” said James van Gerwen, the president of ATU Local 1505. “And it’s not just an occasional slap around the shield. Now they are using weapons.”
In the first incident, police say a man randomly threw a beer can at a bus driver as he was leaving the bus at Dunkirk Drive and Kingston Row around 6 a.m. Police say the driver then tried restraining the passenger but was bit by him.
“He threatened to kill people,” said a person who told CityNews they were on the same bus. “And we were getting off as the same time. And he looked at me and threatened to kill me. And I felt scared.”
RELATED: Passenger throws beer can, bites Winnipeg bus driver: police
Later in the day, police say a Winnipeg Transit supervisor was “conducting fare enforcement outside a stopped bus” at Main Street and Pioneer Avenue when he was allegedly punched in the face by a woman refusing to pay. The transit employee held the 31-year-old woman until police arrived.
Both suspects have been charged.
In a separate incident earlier this month, a bus driver on Route F6 was stabbed twice in the leg with a syringe.
“And there just have been a lot more incidents,” a Winnipegger shared with CityNews. “I take the bus every day, twice a day.”
Van Gerwen says he spoke with the members who got attacked, saying they are scared and shocked.
“And I was wondering how long are they going to stay a driver with this going on,” the union president expressed.
The union has repeatedly called on the City of Winnipeg and Winnipeg Transit to install full enclosures to protect the drivers.
Winnipeg Transit said in a statement they are aware of the incidents, but are not able to speak to the specifics, adding they are working on implementing safety initiatives.
“They are scared and honestly, they are mad,” Van Gerwen said of the transit workers. “They are mad because we know what the solution is. We know the full enclosures will stop these events, but it’s constantly being held back.”
