Edmonton bus drivers share images showing daily realities of working within public transit system
Edmonton transit drivers are sharing images of what they are seeing on buses and the LRT on a sometimes daily basis in the hopes it will push the city to hire more transit peace officers.
Harminder Brar has been driving ETS buses for 12 years and says he has never seen the system in such chaos. He describes how he and fellow operators regularly see open drug use and unruly passengers.
"I've been verbally abused more times than I can count," he told CTV News Edmonton.
"You go to work hoping that you do your eight hours smoothly, effectively, your passengers are safe and that you don't have to get into a situation where you have to deal with a difficult situation or get assaulted," Brar added.
Brar used to drive night routes but has since shifted to days "to worry less" about his safety.
"I've had to switch to days just for my mental health," he said. "To keep sane."
Steve Bradshaw, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 president, says unfortunately Brar's experience is not an outlier.
"Our people are fatigued," Bradshaw said. "They are traumatized. They are in trouble. Every time everyone books off on a traumatic incident, it creates more overtime and fatiguing."
In his view, the city needs to ensure more peace officers are hired, better supports are available for vulnerable Edmontonians and an increase in warming centres and enforcement to ensure passengers don't just stay on the buses or LRT cars.
"Something has to happen," he said. "The union has been lobbying since the spring to ensure that there is a clear plan in place for the fall when the seasonal drift of homeless and the criminal element that follows them occurs."
"In the spring, we had an opportunity to be prepared," Bradshaw added. "We still don't have a clear plan."
According to the union representing Edmonton transit drivers, assaults against operators were declining last year, but have begun to increase year-over-year in 2022.
"Bottom line: one assault is too many," Bradshaw said. "We need to put a stop to it and create that place that is not only safe but feels safe."
Edmonton transit drivers shared images showing what they see on the job. (Supplied)
Just days ago the city manager told reports that great strides had been made to ensure vulnerable Edmontonians were going to better suited areas for help than staying on transit.
"We're not kicking people out of transit stations," explained Andre Corbould. "We're offering them opportunities to go to safer places where they can get food, they can shower, they can have a good night's sleep.
"That's the successful aspect because we are actually placing lots of folks into shelter spaces every night when we do this transit safety plan."
Edmonton transit drivers shared images showing what they see on the job. (Supplied)
The city says it is confident that the enhanced transit safety plan, approved by council in February, will only improve Edmontonians' experience while using ETS.
"(It) will continue to lead to improvements throughout the transit system and help increase safety for everyone using our transit spaces and network," said Ryan Birch, city spokesperson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Hamas is reviewing an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as possible Rafah offensive looms
Hamas said Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and stave off a possible Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Russia renews attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector as Kyiv launches drones at southern Russia
Russia launched a barrage of missiles against Ukraine overnight, in attacks that appeared to target the country's energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Russia said its air defense systems had intercepted more than 60 Ukrainian drones over the southern Krasnodar region.