'It's horrible taking a bus in this city': Saskatoon councillors commit to funding transit social support workers
CTV
Saskatoon’s transit union and bus riders weighed in at the city’s transit committee meeting on Wednesday, as councillors mulled whether to hire support workers to deal with increased safety concerns.
Saskatoon’s transit union and bus riders weighed in at the city’s transit committee meeting on Wednesday, as councillors mulled whether to hire support workers to deal with increased safety concerns.
Bus rider Mary Fedun told councillors she had to steel herself before getting on the bus. She resents having to ride with others who get on without paying.
“We should be able to take it, too, without fear, and without disgust. And right now, that’s it. It’s horrible taking a bus in this city,” she said.
Saskatoon’s transit administrators prepared a set of options to hire dedicated social support workers for city buses following reports in February of escalating violence and mental health-related incidents on public transit.
Administration recommended the city wait until they finish an already-underway review of the community support officer program to adopt a city-wide approach to the transit concerns, but the local transit workers’ union says they need help now.
“Our transit operators are seeing increased incidents on the buses, whether it be violence, intoxicated passengers, illicit drug use on the buses or the unhoused riding around aimlessly,” said local union President Darcy Pederson.
Pederson told councillors there were 500 assaults on city buses in 2022 and just last month, there were four assaults in a seven-day period. He said bus drivers are trained to operate the bus safely, not to intervene in mental health or addictions crises.