Unofficial city council opposition calls for transit safety force

City council's unofficial opposition is demanding the creation of a transit security force to improve safety on Winnipeg buses and relieve drivers of the responsibility to enforce the payment of fares.

The six councillors who are not part of "EPC + 2"the seven members of executive policy committee plus mayoral alliesJenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) and Matt Allard(St. Boniface) issued a joint statement expressing concern about the city's response to the Valentine's Day killing of Winnipeg Transit driver Irvine Jubal Fraser.

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In the statement, councillorsJeff Browaty (North Kildonan), Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert), Ross Eadie (Mynarski), Shawn Dobson (St. Charles), Jason Schreyer (East Kildonan) and Russ Wyatt (Transcona) called on the city to create a transit security force and free drivers of the responsibility to enforce fares, something Winnipeg's transit union has said is the primary source of assaults on transit drivers.

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The councillors also called on the city to penalize the director of Winnipeg Transit if customer surveys reveal dissatisfaction with the transit service.

"We have some concrete suggestions to improve the way transit operates. We need to have a culture of safety at transit, which does not exist today,"Browatysaid in a scrum at city hall.

He declined to speculate about what it would cost to develop a transit safety force and suggested Winnipeg police officers could ride buses during shift changes.

Browaty said he and his fellow opposition councillorsplan to present a notice of motion at the May 24 council meeting, which takes place six days before a transit safety report is due before council's public works committee.

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On Monday, John Callahan,the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, said in a statement thatcity staff did not consult with him or his members for the transit safety report.

Public works chair Marty Morantz and Winnipeg Transit said that's not trueand meetings between the transit union, city officials and councillorshave taken place in recent months.