Bus driver’s assault sparks calls for better protection, possible transit police unit By: Erik Pindera Posted: 6:21 PM CST Friday, Mar. 6, 2026

A recent random assault on a Winnipeg Transit driver is renewing calls for improved safety on the city’s sometimes-violent bus system, with the drivers’ union raising concerns and a city councillor saying it’s time to explore dedicated transit police.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 president James Van Gerwen said the attack happened near Polo Park mall at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.

“We had a driver who was… attacked by a passenger who, literally, just reached around the shield and punched him square in the face,” Van Gerwen said Friday. “He was bleeding.”

Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Pat Saydak said officers arrived at the scene at about 10 p.m., and the investigation remains open.

City community safety officers — sworn peace officers who patrol in and around the transit system and elsewhere — arrive more quickly but did little, Van Gerwen said.

“He was bleeding.”

However, City of Winnipeg spokeswoman Julie Dooley disputed the union official’s description of the events.

She said safety officers spoke with the individual the driver pointed out as the assailant, but the police investigation determined it wasn’t the man who assaulted him.

Dooley added that Winnipeg Transit officials already advised the union on Thursday the safety officers can only detain people causing an immediate threat and that the individual questioned by the safety officers was not involved in the assault.

Van Gerwen said the attack could have been avoided if Winnipeg Transit had installed full protective shields around drivers’ seats.

“Plain and simple, if… the full barriers were in place, this would have never happened,” he said.

A Winnipeg Transit official said in November that the agency is exploring replacing the partial driver shields, installed on the bus fleet in 2019, with floor-to-ceiling driver compartments.

At the time, Rick Young, manager of operations, offered a ballpark estimate of $15 million to install the compartments.

Dooley said the union had initially asked the city’s transit advisory committee to explore full shields — which would cover the door of the driver compartment to the windshield, but not extend up to the bus ceilings.

The committee posted an expression of interest for the full shields last June. Three vendors showed interest, but the shield committee decided the required cost and work would outweigh potential benefits.

Instead, the shield committee recommended the transit advisory committee investigate compartments.

“Plain and simple, if… the full barriers were in place, this would have never happened.”

“Opting for full enclosures rather than shield extensions will greatly affect the project’s scope and cost,” said Dooley. “This change will go beyond the current capital budget for this initiative.”

City public service officials are revising the project’s business case and cost estimates and they will be included in Winnipeg Transit’s capital budget submission next year, she said.

Meantime, Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood city Coun. Evan Duncan told reporters Friday he wants city and police officials to explore whether creating a dedicated police unit for the transit system is needed.

“I think we need to explore what the needs are on transit, what resources we’re putting towards safety on transit and look at if we’re doing enough for Winnipeggers,” said Duncan.

He pointed to the random Feb. 21 assault on a 66-year-old man on a bus in his ward by a suspect who, after getting off the vehicle, allegedly attacked a child with a baseball bat in a nearby store.

“Where does it end?” Duncan said. “How much public safety do we need to put at risk before we say, ‘This is our priority?’”

The driver union has been calling for transit police for years, and Van Gerwen repeated that request Friday.

He said a pilot with police, transit and the city launched in September with an increased number of officers patrolling on buses and around the system until the end of 2025, was helpful.

“We found that they actually were charging people,” said Van Gerwen, noting many Canadian cities have dedicated transit police units. “So, it worked, but at Dec. 31, it was stopped… we need people who can actually arrest (criminals) on the bus.”

If the city decides police should become responsible for transit security, there would need to be discussions among officials about additional funding and more officers, WPS Chief Gene Bowers told reporters Friday.

“Right now, currently, we don’t have the members to be able to initiate a transit police arm of the WPS,” said Bowers.

He noted officers occasionally board buses when they have time as a proactive measure.

Winnipeg Police Board Chair Colleen Mayer said that other levels of government should come to the table to discuss the idea of a transit police unit.

— With files from Joyanne Pursaga

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca