Bus driver, passenger trade punches

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This article was published 05/08/2016 (3376 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg Transit driver had to undergo medical tests for hepatitis and HIV after he was spat upon by a man arguing over a fare on Wednesday, the union president said.

John Callahan, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union 1505, said the bus operator, the father of young children, tried to work on Thursday but was too traumatized to finish his shift.

“It’s disgusting, it’s disrespectful. The afterthought is what if this guy had Hep C or HIV. That’s always playing in the back of your mind,” Callahan said.

“He (the driver) said when he got home after his work, his young daughter hugged him and that’s when he broke down. It’s tough. It’s a tough job.”

He said the man, whose first name is Mike, is shaken up.

“He went to work yesterday but then he couldn’t continue working, he had to go home. He tried to start and it was just too upsetting. I know that he said he didn’t sleep that night and I know I’ve heard that from so many operators (after a traumatic incident). A lot of them can continue their work at the time but they think about it all night, they don’t sleep that night, and then they’re a mess the next day.”

Police spokesman Const. Rob Carver said Friday that Matthieu Joseph Fortier, 29, has been charged with assault, which occurred outside Polo Park.

A video of the incident, which occurred about 4:30 on Wednesday on a Route 21 bus, is circulating on social media. Ther video, shot by Instagram user Jeri Stern, shows a man spitting on a driver and then a fight ensuing.

Police said the suspect spit on the bus driver and waved his arms aggressively before the driver got up and punched him while detaining him for police.

Carver said it may look to people watching a video taken of the incident that the driver was aggressive, but he said it is no different than police overpowering a person to detain them. Police are not charging the driver.

As for whether other passengers should also help the driver, Carver said, “It’s a big risk. Our recommendation is keep yourself safe and call 911.”

Callahan said two-thirds of disputes with passengers are over the payment of fares.

“It’s an all too familiar theme. It was definitely a fare dispute and it escalated,” he said of the incident.

Callahan said there were 60 assaults on transit drivers last year. He said spitting is one of the most frequent ways drivers are assaulted. “For one thing, the immediate reaction is that it’s just so degrading, so disgusting, you just see red. That’s exactly what happened.

“It’s unfortunate, all around. We don’t condone violence of any kind.”

He said Winnipeg Transit and the union will participate in a full investigation of the incident which will involve review of video footage retrieved from the surveillance camera on the bus.

— with files from Kevin Rollason

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca

A video posted by @guidepostmedia on Aug 4, 2016 at 12:44pm PDT