Bus driver attacked after asking rider to put on shirt, union says

A Winnipeg bus driver was assaulted after asking a passenger to put on his shirt, a transit union official says.

"The driver basically asked him if he could please put on his shirt, because it was hanging over his shoulder," saidJames Van Gerwen, executive vice-president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505.

The passenger, who was just getting on the bus,"reached around the shield and slapped him, and exited the bus."

The assault happenedon July 10, in the area of Jefferson Avenue and Main Street, said a post on Twitter from the Winnipeg Police Service.

Winnipeg Police posted a photo and description of the man on Twitter on Aug. 18. That tweet has since been removed.

A spokesperson forWinnipeg Police said the post was taken downbecause a suspect was identified. They could not say Monday whether charges had been laid.

Reports of threats, assaults every week

The transit union gets a report every time a bus driver is threatened or attacked, which usually happens six to eighttimes a month, Van Gerwen said.

That doesn't includeviolence on city transit that involves onlypassengers, which isn't reported to the union.

"I was actually very happy to see they posted the picture of an assailant to help catch the person," Van Gerwensaid.

"Most I hear [about] never get any light of day, and the drivers never get any closure, the suspects are never apprehended."

The Plexiglass shields that protect drivers, which have been in all buses sinceMay, would be more effectiveif they provided more distance between passengers and the driver, Van Gerwen said.

"Assailants do have the ability to reach around and contact the driver," he said.

Even with the shield, drivers are trapped in their seats if someone tries to hurt them, Van Gerwen said.

"We don't have exit windows on the driver's side, so once you're in there, you're locked in there. You are at the mercy of anybody who could grab around that shield. They can still spit at you, they can slap you."