Transit driver stabbed with syringe by passenger
Union renews call for full safety shield after incident
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A Winnipeg Transit driver is recovering in hospital after a passenger stabbed him in the leg with a syringe while riding the bus early Wednesday, the Amalgamated Transit Union says.
The union said the incident occurred shortly before 1 a.m. while the operator was stopped in the northbound lanes of Isabel Street, near William Avenue. A female passenger reached around the driver’s safety shield and stabbed the driver twice before getting off the bus.
The driver was taken to the Seven Oaks Hospital in stable condition, where he is undergoing treatment and further testing, union president James Van Gerwin said in an interview.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
A Winnipeg Transit bus driver is recovering after a passenger stabbed him in the leg with a syringe.
“We spoke to the member. He is doing OK, but he is still in the hospital and he is scared — as anybody would be,” Van Gerwin said.
“Every day, our members are in fear.”
The union said a Winnipeg Transit supervisor, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service and the Winnipeg Police Service responded to the incident.
Winnipeg police acknowledged the incident in a statement to the Free Press. A spokesperson said no additional information would be provided Wednesday.
It is unclear whether police have identified or arrested any suspects.
The attack marks the second safety incident involving a transit driver in as many days. On Tuesday, a passenger warned a driver not to move the bus and threatened him with a syringe if he did not comply, the union said.
Van Gerwin said he is frustrated by what he described as apathy among Winnipeg Transit leaders, who have not heeded the union’s calls to install new safety shields that would fully enclose transit operators while they are in the driver’s seat.
The City of Winnipeg set aside roughly $2.7 million in its 2024 capital budget to test the efficacy of such shields, but the pilot project has not moved ahead.
Potential challenges with full-enclosure shields include glare as well as air flow and climate control problems.
Van Gerwin wants Winnipeg Transit to install nine full enclosure shields immediately, to determine whether they would be a suitable safety measure for the rest of the bus fleet.
In 2025, Transit officials estimated the cost of installing floor-to-ceiling driver compartments at up to $15 million. The shields would replace the partial driver shields installed on Transit’s fleet in 2019 at a cost of $3.15 million.
The need to bolster safety for employees outweighs the costs associated with the shields, Van Gerwin argued.
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca