Safety shields now installed on 3/4 of Winnipeg Transit buses

An eight-week glitch in the supply chaininterrupted theinstallation of safety shields on Winnipeg Transit buses, but the whole fleet should have the protective covers on board byJune.

The shields were recommended after Transit driver Jubal Fraser was stabbed to death during an altercation with a passenger in 2017.

Councillors on the city's infrastructure and public works committee were given an updateTuesday on the $3.15 million program:

Safety shields on board by June

5 years ago

Duration 1:41

Program to install safety shields on Winnipeg Transit buses suffered delay, but is set to be complete by spring.

476 shields have been installed so far with another 165 buses yet to be equipped.The model the city chose is a two-pane adjustable shield preferred by operators, at a cost ofabout $3,700 per shield.

• City begins fleet-wide safety shield rollout on Winnipeg Transit buses
• 'Drivers are out there on their own': Transit union raises spectre of strike over slow pace of safety upgrades

Transit managers told the committee the installation program stalled last year for several weeks after the manufacturer reported difficulty obtaining glass to make the shields.

The problem was eventually corrected and the supplier began shipping 30 shields a week, up from an original 15 units.

"I think it's a good news story," public works chair Matt Allard told reporters.

"Public works is doing everything they can to get the shields installed. We heard they are installing the shields as fast as they are being delivered from the producer," Allard said.

In reaction to multiple incidents on Transit buses, the cityhas improvedsecurity surveillance systems to respondtoinappropriatebehaviour and assist in identifying suspects involved in crimes on buses.

Former Winnipeg Transit drivers have been hired as inspectors toprovide security for both operators and passengers on city buses.