With a front-row seat to all the goings-on in Greater Victoria, BC Transit drivers have seen it all.
“You really seem to service every demographic of person,” said Stephen Bains, president of Unifor Local 333-B.C., the union that represents bus drivers in Greater Victoria. “When you're operating a bus and everyone's actually getting along well together, it’s nice to look in the rear-view mirror and see society in harmony.”
“What I love about the job is just the community connections,” he continued. “Like actually being able to form connections with the passengers who then subsequently recognize you, and just the ability to generate that rapport with people that you're seeing every day.”
But for BC Transit operators it has been a challenging time in recent weeks, with reports of assault, road rage and violence between bus passengers, creating a tense work environment.
“It’s disheartening,” said Bains. “It results in a subsequent rise in anxiety and stress for the operators, that obviously inhibits their ability to really feel safe at work, and be able to enjoy the work like they once did.”
Between Aug. 10 to 19, there were four different assaults reported towards BC Transit operators, including one in Oak Bay where a passenger was arrested for slapping and spitting on a driver.
"In addition to what seems to be quite a rise in assaults, we're also seeing just an increase in violent scenarios,” said Bains. “For example, on Aug. 19 there was a passenger altercation that involved a knife and bear spray. There is a general rise of what seems to be tension among our passengers.”
The union has also raised concern for the safety of drivers and passengers travelling through the 900-block of Pandora Avenue, requesting that all bus stops within 100 metres of the Pandora Avenue and Quadra Street intersection be closed.
"It is common to approach Pandora at Quadra and witness individuals consuming narcotics, overdosed, or even arguing/fighting within the bus shelter," said Bains in the letter to BC Transit. "Meanwhile, fare-paying passengers are subjected to navigating these awkward, anxious and unsafe situations when boarding/alighting the coach."
According to Bains, the union wants the bus stops relocated and a “safety audit” carried out.
“As someone who regularly drove the route six, which is on the Quadra corridor, it is a request that is not taken lightly,” said Bains.
BC Transit has said it is in the early stages of reviewing the request for the bus stop closures and is working with the City of Victoria and Victoria Police on the matter.
“We do not take decisions around potential bus stop closures lightly as we have to balance the needs of our customers and the essential service we provide, along with the safety of our front-line teams, which is paramount,” said BC Transit in a statement to the press.
In addition to the bus stop closures, the union wants other safety measures to be explored, including identifying more discrete locations for driver relief points. The union is also pushing BC Transit to run a “treat the operator well” campaign later in the year.
“There's obviously many things that operators would like to see,” said Bains. “Transit police, definitely may also be a solution.”
Bains also says that the union wants to “bridge the gap” between transit operators and the homeless community, by partnering with local charities and resource centres.
“We don't want any demographic of society thinking that we are not allies,” he said. “At the end of the day, we have no problem driving individuals with no fixed address or individuals who may be suffering from substance abuse or mental health disabilities.
"The overall goal is a holistic review and some sort of solution."
While the current spotlight is on increasing safety for BC Transit workers, Bains says that it's “not all bad” working as a driver.
“I would say probably 95 per cent of our passengers are not witnessing any type of violence,” he said. “In fact, passengers are showing the empathy, courtesy and general displays of humanity that makes us come back to work every day. So we are really grateful for those displays of humanity, for sure.”
And acts of kindness towards transit workers are increasing, following the recent reports of violent incidents.
“Without doubt, there is a general increase in sympathy from passengers,” said Bains. “There’s no doubt about that."
Moving forward, the bus driver is encouraging people to embrace the main principles of labour unions, pointing to “community and camaraderie” in particular.
“We shouldn't be violent towards each other,” Bains said. “We should be empathetic and we should be showing humanity towards each other.”
