11-23-2017, 11:27 PM
GRT rolls out buses with driver shields
Quote: Grand River Transit has just received two new buses, the first in the fleet to be outfitted with barriers to protect drivers from violence while on the job.
And in January, six more buses will be equipped with driver shields as part of a new pilot project agreed to by the transit workers' union, Unifor 4304, and Waterloo Region in the most recently ratified contract.
"The operator is on the front line, they're in a position that is vulnerable to physical assaults," said Eric Gillespie, Waterloo Region's director of transit services.
"The consequences can be significant to them, to customers on their bus, or to others in the community if the bus operator, as a result of an assault, loses control of the vehicle."