Winnipeg, MB – As part of its commitment to improving safety on buses, Winnipeg Transit is proposing the creation of a Transit Advisory Committee to review industry practices, assess and determine trends and recommend strategies to improve safety on the Winnipeg Transit system.
Winnipeg Transit is recommending the following persons be appointed as members of the Transit Advisory Committee:
- Marty Morantz (Councillor, Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge Ward, Chair of the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works)
- Greg Ewankiw (Acting Director, Winnipeg Transit)
- Jon Rost (Bus Operator, Winnipeg Transit)
- John Callahan (International Vice President, Amalgamated Transit Union)
- Dee Gillies (Executive Director, Winnipeg Association of Public Service Officers)
- Joe Kornelsen (Chair, Functional Transit Winnipeg)
- Elizabeth Pilcher (Superintendent, Winnipeg Police Service)
There is no cost associated with establishing the Transit Advisory Committee.
Winnipeg Transit has made a number of changes to increase bus operator and customer safety in recent months, including:
- Having an additional inspector (or more as resources permit) on the street each night to support operators and address any concerns that arise.
- Adjusting inspector procedures to improve response time when a bus operator has a concern on board their bus.
- Having inspectors on the street to raise awareness of the Public Transit By-law, and to conduct checks on buses for unpaid fares.
- Additional training for inspectors to educate them on the procedures around by-law enforcement.
As well, this year, Winnipeg Transit will be implementing the following safety enhancement initiatives:
- A pilot project to test bus operator safety barriers.
- A Transit safety campaign to encourage customers to report undesirable behaviour.
- Stronger reporting procedures with the Winnipeg Police Service to facilitate proactive safety initiatives within the ‘Winnipeg Police Service Smart Policing Initiative’.
The report also recommends that the following safety enhancement concepts be considered as part of the 2018 Budget process:
- Expanding the audio/video surveillance system to deter undesirable behavior and assist with identification, investigation and prosecution of perpetrators;
- Adding one Instructor and three dedicated relief operators to provide additional on-going training for Bus Operators to prevent and diffuse conflict;
- Funding in the range of $475,000 to $710,000 for the provision of an estimated 5 FTEs or another source of security presence to assist Operators and passengers and to increase awareness and enforcement of the Public Transit By-Law:
- Establish new Point Duty Inspectors to assist operators and passengers at set strategic locations and increase awareness and enforcement of the Public Transit By-Law at an initial complement of four inspectors:
This Administrative Report will be considered by the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works on September 11, 2017.
Recommendations made in the report are subject to Council approval.