A city bus driver is in hospital after being stabbed by a passenger on Sunday night, say police.
At roughly 11 p.m. on March 29, officers responded to a report of an aggravated assault that occurred inside a stopped bus in the area of 35 Street and 119 Avenue, said a police spokesperson in an email to Postmedia on Tuesday.
It was reported that the bus operator was stabbed by a passenger, and the driver was treated and transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said the passenger was arrested without incident a short time later and has been charged with aggravated assault and several breaches of a release order.
Raj Brar, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569, said the driver was parked at the Abbotsfield Transit Centre and was wrapping up his shift when the incident occurred.
“I want to start out by saying our hearts go out to our union members, this worker and his family. He showed up to his job, to serve his community and this is what he faced,” said Brar in an interview with Postmedia on Tuesday afternoon.
“I want him to know that every single sister, brother and sibling across the local union here in Edmonton as well as across Canada is thinking about him right now.”
Brar said with the incident still under investigation it’s difficult for him to know all the details. From what he understands the passenger and suspect in this case was sleeping in the back of the bus. The operator was going to take the bus back to the garage to finish his shift. When he approached the suspect, he was slashed on the arm.
“He was in good spirits, despite being in a lot of pain when I spoke with him. He’s still in hospital and he’s waiting for possible surgery,” said Brar.
Brar said the bus driver is a long-standing member of Edmonton Transit Service, and this incident hits hard for him and all other drivers across the city who put their safety at risk.
“These are moments that every union member thinks about. Every employee that’s part of transit thinks about. Violence against transit workers is unacceptable,” said Brar.
“Everybody comes to work with hope of going home safe, and it’s not fair that this is going on.”
Recent years have seen a rise in violent incidents within the ETS system and within LRT stations and it’s brought significant safety concerns forward among riders and ETS staff.
Brar said an incident like this should bring forward another re-evaluation to try and find ways to keep ETS drivers and passengers safe.
“Do we need to put stronger safety measures in place? One attack is too many on a transit operator,” said Brar.
“The unions here need to advocate for more safety of operators at all times. The conditions, when you think about it, could happen to anyone at any time.”
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