On-the-job threats, lack of support, lasting damage Mental health languishes as Winnipeg Transit rolls toward grim year of violence: bus drivers By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 6:57 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 12, 2023

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Threatened with a knife and fearing for his life while on the job, one Winnipeg Transit driver says he has since been left by his employer to navigate the emotional aftermath alone.

“I’m not sleeping right. I’m a prisoner in my own backyard. I try to go out but now… I’m hyper-vigilant,” the bus driver said.

After an initial response to a call for help, he said Transit officials did not check on him again until days after the incident. “I had to deal with everything myself.”

“I’m not sleeping right. I’m a prisoner in my own backyard. I try to go out but now… I’m hyper-vigilant.”–Transit bus driver

Data from Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 show Winnipeg is on track to log another record-breaking year of violence on city buses, with 186 incidents recorded, as of June 30.

Of those, 75 were assaults committed against Transit staff.

On-the-job threats have wreaked havoc with mental health and support from their employer has fallen short of what’s needed, some Transit drivers say.

Two employees, who asked not to be named due to fear of consequences at work, said workplace attacks caused them lasting psychological trauma.

The bus operator who was threatened with a knife said he remains fearful of driving downtown, even in a personal vehicle.

“It didn’t matter how many courses you could have took to try to prevent something like that (from) happening. This (person) was (intoxicated) on some kind of drug and he was just trying to get me.”

While some passengers are banned from riding Transit buses after repeated incidents, the driver said operators are still expected to pick those people up — then report their presence.

“They’re banning, but the ban is nothing… You cannot deny anybody service.”

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A second operator said he faced a death threat while driving a route, which was also met with delayed responses, as he and his loved ones lost sleep.

“I’m going through this now, on my own. My employer has not helped me… no one’s held accountable on that,” the driver said. “(Assaults happen) daily. They’re not following their proper procedures.”

“I’m going through this now, on my own. My employer has not helped me… no one’s held accountable on that.”–Transit bus driver

Both said they’ve been discouraged from calling 911 during emergencies, and are instructed to call the Winnipeg Transit Control Centre instead. Both alleged operators are often criticized for their actions during reviews of assaults.

The ATU Local 1505 says many drivers have reported serious psychological injury due to a growing number of on-the-job attacks.

“We have roughly 120 to 130 members off (on leave through) various types of benefits, mostly as a result of the violence in the workplace and the lack of supports,” said President Chris Scott.

They have reported anxiety, depression and other disorders linked to experiences on the job, he added.

The union says it typically reaches out to drivers within 24 hours after a safety threat is reported. Scott accused Transit of failing to promptly connect employees with a critical incident stress management program and/or failing to ensure an employee and family assistance program offers enough coverage.

“There are many times when the ball is dropped… (employees) are having to manage the psychological traumas themselves,” he said.

While the union leader acknowledged protecting staff can be complicated within the mobile, confined space of a bus, he stressed the response has room for improvement.

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A request to interview a Winnipeg Transit official was not granted Wednesday.

In an email, spokeswoman Megan Benedictson said Transit strives to connect with bus operators promptly after an incident.

“If an operator remains at work after a stressful incident, all efforts are made to have an inspector reach out to check on their well-being before the operator’s shift is over. In other cases, the supervisor will attempt to contact the operator the next day, depending on the availability of the operator,” wrote Benedictson.

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She noted the critical incident stress management program is activated on a case-by-case basis, which can happen “immediately or within days, as needed.”

Benedictson said Transit isn’t aware of increased waits to access mental health support programs.

The statement said all reported assaults are reviewed to determine if anything could have been done to produce a better outcome, but the purpose is “not to assign blame.”

Bus operators are instructed not to enforce passenger bans to protect their own safety, she noted.

While drivers are expected to call the control centre during emergencies, which can “quickly triage the call to the appropriate responders” and pinpoint a bus location using GPS, they are encouraged to use their personal phones to call 911 if they’re away from the radio system during an emergency, wrote Benedictson.

“There are many times when the ball is dropped… (employees) are having to manage the psychological traumas themselves.”–Chris Scott, ATU Local 1505

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he has met with ATU about threats and attacks on their members.

“There’s no doubt that they have raised that there’s a real impact to operators when they face violence on buses,” said Gillingham.

The mayor expects the plan to add 24 community safety officers on buses and around shelters by the end of this year should help make public transportation safer.

“As long as there’s a need for safety to be provided on buses, my view will be looking to provide that safety, those resources,” said Gillingham.

The city’s budget devotes $5 million to start up the officer program.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.