LONDON – Two London transit operators were assaulted late this morning after two totally unprovoked attacks. The first attack occurred when a driver was transitioning shifts from one bus to another. The assailant jumped up behind the operator and attacked him. The driver is currently in hospital.
The second attack was a verbal threat towards a 25 plus-year veteran operator who was threatened with physical violence. It is unknown at this time if the two are related.
“We at London Transit have been dealing with these types of violence against our drivers for years, every year it gets worse and more serious.” Said Michael Gauthier, President of London ATU Local 741. “These attacks can’t keep happening, drivers need more protection.”
This is not the first assault in London during the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2020,
A woman was caught on camera assaulting an LTC bus driver over an argument regarding a face mask. As a result of the lack of protection that face many drivers across the country, physical assaults on transit operators are more common than one might believe.
“Across Canada, there are more than 2000 reported assaults on drivers every year.” said ATU Canada National President, John Di Nino. “Not only do they put our dedicated drivers at risk but transit riders too; more needs to be done so attacks like this cease taking place.
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