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The tragic murder of a Winnipeg bus driver this past February sparked conversation over how to better protect public transit drivers.
Now B.C.’s Amalgamated Transit Union has announced that a trial using driver shields will be implemented on buses in Kelowna, Victoria, and Abbotsford.
“We believe this is a positive step forward in overall safety for the bus driver and public,” said Kelowna's Amalgamated Transit Union’s President, Scott Lovell.
In 2016, a rash of assaults prompted an emergency safety task force on how to better protect drivers that involved the Transit Union and BC Transit.
The result was the installation of CCTV cameras on all BC Transit buses.
At the time Lovell said cameras were not enough and the Union would press for protective shields.
“What about the assault that happened in West Kelowna? There was a camera on that bus,” said Lovell.
“It's terrible that we have to do this, but if there was a shield in place our operator would not have been assaulted.”
If the trial proves effective in Kelowna, Victoria, and Abbotsford, the final solution will be to have shields be installed across the province.
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