The Saskatoon city transit union has sounded the alarm over a rising number of assaults and violent incidents on the transit system.. Darcy Pederson .Transit Union Local 615 President Darcy Pederson said the drivers are being threatened and yelled at, as well as knife and gun incidents..“[Drivers] had confrontations anywhere from getting yelled at or threatened to being spat on. Knives, we’ve had guns on the buses,” said Pederson..Peterson pointed out drivers being assaulted is common, but there’s an increase in passenger-on-passenger violence..“The issue needs to be addressed because we need to be able to get the riders back on the buses and have them feel comfortable going to work, getting their groceries, going to their doctor appointments,” said Pederson. .The increase in assaults started during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Pederson..“There were so many different regulations that were being implemented and being dropped no one really knew what was going on with masks or backdoor loading and tensions were just really high,” said Pederson..Pederson said that the union blames the city’s drug epidemic and mental health crisis as adding to the increase of incidents on the transit system. .“Unfortunately, those people are being turned away from the homeless shelters and the places that they really need to be getting the help they need and instead they're getting on the buses and not paying fares, and then the confrontations,” said Pederson..The union suggests adding “support officers” to Saskatoon’s buses to limit the incidents, which would help alleviate the stress on the Saskatoon Police Service responding to calls..“Not only someone to just deal with the [incidents], but someone to reach out and provide community support such as mental health, to send them in the right direction if they are having a mental health crisis or to a homeless shelter, an addictions counsellor,” said Pederson..“Not someone to just deal with fares, but someone to deal with the actual heart of it.”.READ MORE Woman stabbed for purse after getting off Edmonton transit.However, Pederson said drivers do not “enforce fare collection.”.“If they want a free ride, they get a free ride,” said Pederson..“We don’t want anyone getting hurt, punched, stabbed. We want everybody to come to work and go home safe.”.Saskatoon Transportation General Manager Terry Schmidt said “operators are not to enforce fares. If there are issues with fares, they are to call their supervisor, who will come and attend and assist the operators.”
