Committee OKs testing of shields for transit drivers

Shields up.

The city’s community and public services committee on Thursday recommended to city council that 10 city buses be equipped with $5,000 retractable shields in a oneyear pilot project.

“The proposal came from the transit union as a way to protect drivers from way-too-common assaults from customers,” said Ward 6 Coun. Scott McKeen. “The shields are an opportunity to protect drivers at certain times of day on certain routes that are a little more vulnerable. We have a duty of care to our bus operators to make sure they are safe.”

The likely routes are Route 8, which had eight security incidents last year, and Route 1, which had six security incidents in 2017. The shields are expected to be about 76 centimetres high and can be raised in about two seconds at the push of a button.

Specific timelines for the pilot are dependent on the procurement process for the shields, said a committee report.

The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) said in the report that approximately 2,000 assaults against bus drivers are reported every year across Canada. Edmonton recorded 130 assaults between 2016 and 2017. Drivers are punched, spat on and have coffee or other things thrown at them, most often when they ask a passenger to pay a fare.

The city tested bus shields in 2009-10, but they were unpopular because they restricted airflow.

“The old shields created a stove, an oven,” McKeen said. “The new ones will be more comfortable.”

Ward 11 Coun. Mike Nickel said the safety of employees is extremely important. With the number of assaults growing, it could even lead to a weapon attack, and that would be the worst-case scenario, he said.

Toronto has shields on its entire transit fleet.

In other news, the committee also recommended that information on the number and nature of complaints about school buses parked on residential streets be gathered and sent back to the committee by the end of August.

Last year, a report to the city identified potential impacts of school buses that park in residential neighbourhoods, such as damage to residential roads and reduced roadway lifespan, increase in parking of heavy vehicles, a potential increase in sightline obstructions and a decrease in available street parking.