The union representing Winnipeg Transit drivers is urgently calling for the installation of full-height safety shields on all buses following a harrowing incident where a driver was threatened with a hatchet. The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 highlighted the critical need for enhanced protection after the operator narrowly avoided serious harm early Thursday morning.
Near Hijacking Incident Sparks Safety Concerns
The alarming event occurred around 1 a.m. at the St. Vital terminal. According to James Van Gerwen, president of ATU Local 1505, a passenger repeatedly demanded the bus operator drive. After the bus departed the terminal, the passenger produced a hatchet from a bag and reached around the existing partial safety shield, threatening the driver. Fortunately, a police vehicle was passing by, and the driver was able to flag it down for assistance.
Van Gerwen described the situation as a near “hijacking,” emphasizing the profound psychological impact on the driver, who is only one year into her career. The driver, though physically unharmed, is now on stress leave. She joins a significant number of Winnipeg Transit operators already on leave due to psychological injuries, with the union reporting 64 drivers off work, accumulating over 30,000 days and 225,000 hours of lost operational time.
Escalating Violence Against Transit Operators
This incident is the latest in a disturbing trend of violence targeting Winnipeg Transit staff. In the preceding days, police reported separate assaults on drivers. On Tuesday, within a 10-hour period, two individuals faced charges related to altercations with transit employees.
- In one incident, a 51-year-old man allegedly threw a beer can at a driver and bit him while being restrained after refusing to leave a bus. He was charged with assault.
- Later that day, a 31-year-old woman, after refusing to pay her fare, punched a supervisor who was enforcing rules outside a stopped bus. She faces a charge of assaulting a peace officer.
Adding to the concern, a driver was stabbed in the leg with a syringe by a passenger two weeks prior. The assailant reached around the existing shield to inflict the injury before fleeing the bus.
Calls for Full-Height Shields and Systemic Solutions
In response to the rising violence, Winnipeg Transit had announced in November its intention to explore replacing the partial shields, installed in 2019, with full floor-to-ceiling compartments. At that time, Rick Young, Transit’s manager of operations, provided an estimated cost of $15 million for the full installation. The City of Winnipeg had allocated approximately $2.7 million in its 2024 capital budget for a pilot project to test the effectiveness of such shields, but this initiative has not yet commenced.
The union argues that the cost of inaction far outweighs the investment in safety. Van Gerwen stated that the amount spent on Workers Compensation Board claims related to driver assaults could fund the installation of full shields within two years. “Every day they’re holding off on putting these shields in, it’s costing Winnipeggers money,” he asserted.
City data indicates 42 recorded assaults on bus drivers in uniform this year, with 104 such incidents reported in 2025. Union officials are pushing for expedited revisions to cost estimates for the proposed shields, aiming to include them in Winnipeg Transit’s capital budget submission for the upcoming year.
Broader Safety Considerations
Councilor Evan Duncan has also voiced strong support for increased safety measures on transit. However, he believes the solution extends beyond physical barriers. Duncan emphasized the need to address the root causes of street-level crime, advocating for measures to ensure individuals who pose a risk to public safety are held in appropriate facilities, whether for psychiatric care or within the correctional system.
Duncan indicated his willingness to support a motion for installing shields on routes identified as high-risk and anticipates that the issue will be a significant topic during budget discussions following the municipal election in October.
