Kelowna bus drivers demand new safety measures after 'absolutely awful' day of violence

"Any assault is terrible...but four in one day?"

That's Scott Lovell a bus driver in Kelowna and the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union local 1722, the union that represents bus drivers.

Lovell says he's "completely shocked" after the events of Friday, May 20 where one bus driver was punched repeatedly for disallowing a bike on board, another pepper-sprayed and two others verbally assaulted.

"It's not like the assaults are new," he said. "It's just that the frequency and the amount in one day is ridiculous. And the drivers are going 'why is there no protection for us?'"

A call for more protection

Lovell and his union are calling for more protection, saying they want some sort of bus shield and a dedicated transit police force.

B.C. Transit's Drew Snider says he understands the concerns, saying the assaults were "absolutely awful" and "this should not be happening in a place where people to go to work".

He says the transit authority has just finished a review ofbarriers to protect drivers as well as a pilot project installing security cameras on buses.

Snider says these safety features haven't been implemented in Kelowna buses because it hasn't been a big issue in the past.

"It's not been as much of a problem," he said, adding the incidents could be because "there's an increase in the amount of service that's been brought in."

Regional differences

Unlike Kelowna,buses in the Lower Mainland have been outfitted with security cameras and an on-board emergency communication system for drivers for years.

TransLink is also implementing a safety barrier pilot project on Lower Mainland buses later this year.

The biggest difference, however, is the presence of a dedicated transit police force

Lovell is keen to have a similar force in Kelowna, but understands this could be a challenge.

"It's kind of tough because we're a small market," he said. "But if we had a deterrent of roaming police that were dedicated specifically to transit ...I think that would be a very good deterrent for any attacks on bus drivers."

A long road to implementation

Snider says another major issue could be the delay in implementing any new safety features.

"It's a long process," he said. "It's not as simple as putting the driver in the cage [or] installing cameras everywhere because these have so many other considerations to look at privacy issues, security issues, all sorts of things

He estimates cameras could come to Kelownabuses within the next few months, and says they'll be trying out a barrier prototype in the fall.

While the drivers wait for protections to be implemented, Lovell says he's told the membership to watch out for one another and stay tuned to their radio communications.

"This is a wonderful community. We're part of the community," said Lovell. "[But] our drivers are concerned, as they should be."

With files from the CBC's Daybreak South.

To hear the full story listen to the audio labelled: BC Transit on recent assaults on Kelowna bus drivers